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Kurtis Rourke’s long-awaited return to professional football started promisingly but ended with an unexpected trip to the hospital. The San Francisco 49ers’ third-string quarterback made his first appearance in nearly two years Thursday night in the team’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, delivering an impressive performance before suffering a rib injury that required medical evaluation.
Rourke, selected in the seventh round by Tennessee in the March 2025 draft, completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards in his NFL debut. The former Ohio and Indiana quarterback also contributed three rushing attempts for 14 yards across three offensive possessions, capping his final drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Patrick Taylor Jr.
The 49ers’ quarterback exited after that scoring drive due to rib injury concerns. While initial X-rays came back negative for fractures, Rourke experienced respiratory distress that prompted the team to transport him to a hospital for further evaluation and imaging, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed.
Shanahan expressed measured confidence regarding Rourke’s condition, indicating the hospitalization was precautionary. “They just wanted to get more imaging and find out, so they weren’t too concerned. I don’t want to downplay it but I don’t want to overplay it either,” the coach stated.
Rourke played his entire final college season at Indiana with a torn anterior cruciate ligament before undergoing surgery ahead of the draft. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes for the Hoosiers while throwing 29 touchdowns and five interceptions, establishing career highs in both categories.
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