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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The San Francisco 49ers fielded just two quarterbacks in Thursday's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, with head coach Kyle Shanahan choosing to sit franchise star Brock Purdy. The 49ers ultimately lost the game 19-13 and lost one of their quarterbacks to a scary injury — 2025 seventh-round pick Kurtis Rourke.
The former Hoosiers quarterback started the game, going 12 of 14 for 101 yards before going down with a rib injury in the second quarter. Rourke was then taken to a local hospital after reportedly struggling to breathe, leaving second-year player Adrian Martinez to finish the game. However, on Friday morning, the 49ers announced that Rourke had checked out of the hospital and was released Thursday night.
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Rourke, a 6-foot-4 signal-caller out of Indiana, spent five seasons with the Ohio Bobcats before a breakout final season with the Hoosiers in 2024, finishing with 3,042 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and just five interceptions across 12 games, while completing 69.4% of his passes and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. An Oakville, Ontario, native, he also received the Jon Cornish Trophy, given annually to the top Canadian player in college football.
Behind Purdy and Mac Jones, Rourke was expected to compete for the No. 3 quarterback spot in the rotation. He didn't appear in a game last NFL season as a rookie, but he reportedly impressed during training camp and looked good in his preseason debut against Tennessee.
The competition for QB3 remains open between him and Martinez, but getting the start Thursday suggests he's currently leading the race. And now that it appears he's avoided any serious injury, he's well positioned to finish the preseason strong.
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