Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers needed to showcase a little more caution with their third-string quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, during Thursday night's exhibition opener against the Tennessee Titans.
After all, calling QB draw plays inside the 5-yard line in a meaningless preseason bout isn't exactly the smartest move, and it resulted in Rourke taking a hit to the ribs that ultimately sent him to the hospital shortly thereafter when he complained about difficulty breathing.
Had the injury been serious, Rourke's shot at a spot on the Niners' opening 53-man roster would have been in jeopary, as San Francisco likely would've turned to Brock Purdy, Mac Jones and Adrian Martinez to round out the top three.
After redshirting his rookie 2025 season after a collegiate ACL tear, another major injury setback would've been devastating for Rourke.
Fortunately, that isn't the case. And Rourke likely claimed the QB3 role for good with his performance Thursday night.
Kurtis Rourke injury isn't serious enough to deny him 49ers' QB3 role
The Niners subsequently announced Rourke was released from the hospital later Thursday evening, which is a positive sign, and head coach Kyle Shanahan also indicated they weren't overly worried about the need to add another quarterback.
Had Rourke's injury been serious, there's a good chance he would miss the rest of the preseason and potentially start off the year on an injured list, denying him a spot on the regular-season roster by the time Week 1 rolls around.
After going an impressive 12-of-14 for 101 yards, primarily against Tennessee's starting defense, the second-year Indiana product effectively showed he's far ahead of Martinez in the fight for the No. 3 quarterbacking role behind Purdy and Jones.
Assuming Rourke is able to come back in time for Week 1, there's almost no reason to believe his spot is in danger to Martinez.
Or anyone else, for that matter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google