Jaguars
Jaguars QB Nathan Rourke made the play of the preseason on Saturday and perhaps the play of the last five preseasons with a sizzle-reel touchdown pass. Rourke channeled former Giants QB Eli Manning on the famous “Helmet Catch” play, albeit for a much smaller stakes, pulling away from multiple defenders and throwing up a pass while in the grasp of a defender for a touchdown.
Jaguars’ QB Nathan Rourke: pic.twitter.com/jNymKh8FMn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2023
“It’s a bit of a blur,” Rourke said via John Oehser of the team website. “I just knew I needed to have a little bit of time, to buy some time. It was a longer route. We had to buy some time to be able to get a completion and then had to buy some time in the pocket. Qadree did a really good job with the scramble rules and I just tried to give him a chance. I’m glad it worked out.”
Rourke signed with the Jaguars after starring in the CFL and is competing to prove Jacksonville should keep him as a third quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence and backup C.J. Beathard. Plays like that can only help his cause but he understands he has much more to do.
“It is just a preseason game, but it’s fun to be out there,” he said. “You get to show them what you got, that you can’t really do with the plays in practice. It’s a good stepping off point that we will continue to build on.”
Texans
The preseason is the first chance for rookies to show what they can do against NFL competition, even if it’s not the same environment as it will be during the regular season. So Texans third-round WR Tank Dell‘s performance was notable, as he caught five passes for 65 yards and a juggling touchdown. Dell has turned some heads during camp and it was encouraging for the team to see him translate it to a game.
“Yeah, he’s great, electrifying,” Texans QB Davis Mills said via USA Today’s Brian Barefield. “I think that’s the best way to describe him. He’s going to make guys miss in tight windows, and when he catches a short pass, he’s going to try to score anywhere he gets it on the field.”
“That’s just a glimpse of what he can do,” first-round QB C.J. Stroud added. “He’s showed so much already in camp. “That play was a great release, good ball by Davis, back shoulder, and it was good focus because it always is different when you’re out there. It’s not going to just be catch, touchdown. It’s going to be bang-bang. He kept with it, which I’m really happy for him, and yeah, he made a lot of good plays. He’s a great player. I can’t wait to see what we do together.”
Titans
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill said OC Tim Kelly‘s offense gives them “a touch more freedom” and make adjustments at the line.
“There’s a touch more freedom in his offense,” Tannehill said, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “Being able to make adjustments on the fly, make changes at the line of scrimmage, a little more freedom within the route trees. … Whether it’s leverage or a hole in the defense, being able to make some adjustments there. And it’s not just me. It’s the receivers as well. With that freedom, you have to be on the same page. It’s a responsibility where you have to be on the same page. If you’re adjusting your route to something where you haven’t really talked about before but you see it, you have to be on the same page. Just going through that in training camp and learning from what we see on tape and being able to communicate that in the meeting room and make it happen once we go out on the field.”
Tannehill said 2023 being a contract year doesn’t provide extra motivation and is focused on leading their offense to more success.
“I didn’t need the motivation,” Tannehill said. “I can see what they’re trying to do here. It’s not like I’m oblivious to what they’re trying to do. Now it’s my job as a competitor, as a veteran, to go out and make it hard, make it to where they can’t do that because I’m playing good football, and that’s not going to be the best thing for the team. That’s my goal right now, go out, play really good football, lead this offense, lead this team. Right now, I’m prepping to win games.”
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