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Lions GM hints at when injured Nathan Rourke will return for BC

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
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Jul 21 2026, 8:37 pm
Lions GM hints at when injured Nathan Rourke will return for BC
Anne-Marie Sorvin/Imagn Images

This isn’t where the BC Lions thought they’d be.

Sure, they were thrown for a loop at the beginning of the season with multiple bye weeks and a schedule that saw them play games either on the road or off-site in Kelowna.

However, the excuses probably don’t provide any solace.

The Lions currently sit at 1-4, good for last place in the ultra-competitive West Division. They’re also just above the league’s basement, which is occupied by the Ottawa Redblacks (0-5).

To make matters worse, Nathan Rourke is on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

The reigning Most Outstanding Player was hurt on the third play of the game during Friday’s loss to the Edmonton Elks. Backup Chase Brice threw four interceptions in Rourke’s place.

For the Lions, the big question now is: how long will Rourke be out?

It wasn’t promising after his injury on Friday that the 28-year-old’s left non-throwing arm was seen in a sling.

However, Lions GM Ryan Rigmaiden gave a bit of a good news update on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be weeks rather than months,” Lions GM Ryan Rigmaiden told the media, according to 3 Down Nation’s JC Abbott.

“Knowing Nate, it’ll be sooner rather than later. I can’t give you anything else in terms of weeks, but it’s definitely going to be more weeks than months, and so we’re excited about that.”

Rigmaiden basically reiterated what TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported on Monday.

“The most important thing is that this is not believed to be overly serious,” Lalji said.

“This is not an injury that is going to take months in recovery; it’s going to take weeks.

Lalji went on to report that the Lions could place Rourke on the six-game injured list, largely to provide salary cap flexibility. They did the same last year when he had an abdominal injury.

“You look at what happened last year; they put him on the six-game injured list,” Lalji said. “He missed two games before coming back, so I think the hope is, [his return] is somewhere in and around that range again this time.”

Rigmaiden didn’t appear to provide an update about Rourke’s placement on the six-game injured list when he met with the media Tuesday.

Although the Lions may have avoided the worst-case scenario with Rourke, their quarterback room was mighty thin following the injury. After Brice, the only other quarterback on the roster was rookie Kaidon Salter.

That’s why on Tuesday, the Lions signed former Redblacks quarterback Tyrie Adams. While he’s not Rourke, he does have a little flash to his game.

The 29-year-old has played 23 CFL games across four seasons, completing 67 of 107 passes for 817 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s rushed for another 116 yards on 21 attempts in his career.

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