Canadian football fans are watching the NFL’s preseason closely as they see their favorite native quarterback Nathan Rourke look to earn a spot on the Atlanta Falcons’ roster in 2024.

Rourke played his first game in the red and black uniforms, playing through the whole fourth quarter. The Falcons were not able to score any points in the final quarter, falling to the Miami Dolphins 20-13 on Friday night.

The BC Lions’ former starter completed three of his 13 passes for 37 yards and rushed twice for 24 yards on two carries. The stats are misconceiving as the wide receivers had at least three drops off of Rourke’s passes in the loss. He looked good in the game, and his athleticism showed on a big run play of 21 yards.

The bright side of his performance was that he outperformed fellow backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who threw for 11 yards on four completions. Atlanta’s first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr., got the start at quarterback with Kirk Cousins not playing in the game.

Rourke signed with the Falcons at the beginning of August after a short offseason with the New York Giants. During the 2023 NFL campaign, he also played for the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Many CFL fans will remember Rourke’s short two-year stint in the league with the BC Lions after the team selected him in the second round of the CFL Draft. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2022 after scoring 32 total touchdowns in 10 games and leading the Lions to the postseason.

Rourke will have another shot at playing for the Falcons on Saturday, August 17, when Atlanta travels to Baltimore to face the Ravens.

You can follow Anthony Miller on X @ByAnthonyMiller.

Catch up with CFL on SI.com on Facebook and X.

The first of three Miami Dolphins preseason contests is in the books and several players did well during the team’s opening game of the exhibition season. Did they earn a roster spot? Maybe not yet, but they are definitely trending upward after Miami posted a 20-13 victory.

More than five players stood out against the Falcons, but we’ve decided to show these guys below some love. The list doesn’t include Jaylen Wright, but we should bring up the fact that he was impressive in his debut, posting his first NFL TD. With that said, these five players also deserve their flowers:

Winner: Tanner Conner – Conner played his best football since joining the Dolphins as a pro. Yes, it is preseason, but he was blocking well and was able to work the field and get open. He made the most of his opportunities and looked to put a little space between himself and Jody Fortson.

Winner: Ethan Bonner – Bonner is having one of the best camps of any player, and he showed fans that the hype is real. Bonner consistently made plays and was able to break his coverage to make tackles or hold up the ball carrier. Bonner may not have outright won a roster spot, but he is going to make it very hard for the Dolphins to cut him.

Winner: Storm Duck and Patrick McMorris – McMorris was drafted in the seventh round and no one expects him to make a big impact on the roster, but he made plays when he was in the game and that is all you can ask of a young guy trying to make a football team. As for Duck, the undrafted rookie was all over the field and made plays. He remains a bit of a longshot to make the roster, but his showing vs. Atlanta was a clear indication that he is going to fight for a spot.

Winner: Patrick Paul – It’s hard to look at Paul and find a reason to be remotely critical. Paul played almost the entire game, and he did very well. Using the strength in his legs, Paul was able to push defenders around, and when they were faster than him, his long arms helped keep them at bay. Paul gained a lot of experience in this one and he will get more reps in the final two preseason games while the Dolphins keep Terron Armstead off the field.

Loser: Willie Snead – Snead didn’t impress anyone, and what makes it worse is that announcer Kim Bokamper mentioned that he has struggled with catching passes in practice. That isn’t something you would expect from a veteran wideout. Snead is far from a lock to make the roster and didn’t do himself any favors in his first Miami appearance.

Loser: Mike White – White came in against the deeper Atlanta Falcons roster and did nothing to show he deserved the backup job behind Tua Tagovailoa. Skylar Thompson didn’t have a great game either, but White’s game was worse. The Dolphins may need to look outside of the team to find an answer. Neither QB looked like a player fans will have confidence in should Tagovailoa go down.

The Atlanta Braves announced a couple of moves ahead of Friday’s series opener at Coors Field. The club recalled southpaw Zach Logue to Atlanta and optioned right-hander Parker Dunshee to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Logue was added as a fresh arm for the series in Denver, and although he wasn’t used Friday, his time will surely come, given the Braves’ current pitching situation.

More Braves News:

In his recent newsletter, Mark Bowman announced that Reynaldo López began throwing this week and will likely be activated after a rehab start next week.

The Braves lost their sixth straight after Friday night’s 7-6 contest with the Colorado Rockies.

Jose Perdomo’s early exit headlines yesterday’s minor league recap.

The Braves’ lineup is currently a disaster. However, Austin Riley continues to produce with some pretty solid xwOBA stats.

After it was announced that his spot in the rotation would be skipped, Spencer Schwellenbach will now start on Sunday.

MLB has officially announced the Speedway Classic between the Braves and Cincinnati Reds on August 2, 2025.

In the latest Braves Dispatch, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses the pitching situation, optimism thus far, pessimism thus far, and more.

MLB News:

The San Francisco Giants acquired right-hander Ryan Watson from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. Watson has not been on a 40-man roster this year, which is why he was eligible for trade after the deadline. The Giants also optioned closer Camilo Doval to Triple-A Sacramento after a blown save.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts will make the switch from shortstop to right field upon his return from the injured list. He suffered a fractured hand in June.

The Philadelphia Phillies made several moves, placing Austin Hays on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, optioning Kolby Allard, and designating Darick Hall and Max Castillo for assignment.

The Miami Marlins designated right-hander Kyle Tyler for assignment. To take his spot on the roster, the club selected the contract of Kent Emanuel. The club also claimed right-hander Xzavion Curry off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.

The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Cam Eden from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. He was assigned to Triple-A.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan was diagnosed with a Grade 2 teres major strain and will miss significant time. It is unclear if he will return this season. The club also announced that Brock Stewart is out for the season, as he will undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery.