Who Should I Start? Skylar Thompson or Kurtis Rourke

Friday, August 22, 11:36 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 11 of his 13 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason victory against the Carolina Panthers. Thompson took over for Mason Rudolph in the second quarter and orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives. He capped his opening series with a perfect five-for-five passing line, highlighted by a 24-yard strike to Lance McCutcheon in the end zone to put Pittsburgh ahead. Thompson's strong play this summer has likely been enough to earn him a roster spot somewhere, though it's uncertain at this point if it will be in Pittsburgh. The aforementioned Rudolph is likely to enter the season as the team's primary backup behind Aaron Rodgers, but if the Steelers place rookie Will Howard (finger) on IR, they could opt to keep Thompson as their QB3 or explore trade options.

Wednesday, July 16, 1:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers rookie seventh-round quarterback Kurtis Rourke (knee) will begin training camp this summer on the Non-Football Injury list after the team's rookies reported to camp on Tuesday. In addition, second-round rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins has yet to report while being one of the many second-round picks this year that have yet to sign their rookie deals. The 24-year-old Rourke played through a torn ACL in his final collegiate season in 2024 at Indiana, but he will not be ready to practice with the Niners when training camp kicks off next week. When Rourke is cleared to participate in practices, he'll merely be competing for the No. 3 QB role in San Fran behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones. The 49ers also have Tanner Mordecai on roster at the QB position this year.