San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kurtis Rourke got his first taste of NFL action Thursday night in a preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans, and head coach Kyle Shanahan liked what he saw before the rookie’s night was cut short by a rib injury.
“He looked good. Got the ball in the right spot,” Shanahan said. “Thought he hung in there, played well, did a hell of a job on that draw. It looked good out there live.”
Rourke, who missed his entire rookie season while recovering from offseason ACL surgery, completed 12-of-14 passes for 101 yards and added 14 yards on three carries before exiting in the second quarter. This included some great passes for 2026 second-round rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who caught seven passes for 63 yards on eight targets.
Rourke was eventually pulled from the game and taken to a hospital as a precaution after struggling to breathe, with X-rays not showing a fracture. Shanahan said the team would know more Friday, but for one half of preseason football, the rookie answered some early questions about his readiness to handle NFL snaps.
The performance came in a small sample, but it was enough for Shanahan to walk away encouraged about the 49ers’ 2025 seventh-round pick out of Indiana. He’s battling Adrian Martinez for the team’s QB3 role, and potentially the QB2 role if Mac Jones is traded away.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Kyle Shanahan evaluates QB’s debut performance
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
