Tyquan

Thornton

Thornton was waived by the Patriots last Saturday and now has a new home in Kansas City. The former No. 50 overall pick from the 2022 draft class has had a rough start to his career, appearing in just 28 games through three seasons while posting a line of 39-385-2 in those games. Thornton broke out in his fourth and final season at Baylor when he caught 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns and became a second-round pick the following year. He blazed a 4.28 at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the speed has yet to translate to any kind of professional success. Now on the Chiefs’ practice squad, Thornton will look to restart his career with one of the league’s best teams.

New England used a second round pick on Thornton (50th overall) just three years ago, but he was a healthy inactive each of the last two weeks while the Patriots dressed six wide receivers. Rumors swirled that the team was open to trading Thornton before the deadline, but there weren’t any takers. He’s likely to go unclaimed on waivers before finding a spot on another team’s practice squad. Thornton ends his Patriots career with 39 catches, 385 yards and two touchdowns in 28 games.

Thornton is a healthy scratch for the second straight week. K.J. Osborn was also a healthy scratch last week, but will be active in Week 10, meaning the Pats will dress six wide receivers. Defensively, Kyle Dugger and Christian Elliss are out due to injury, while the newly claimed Ngakoue will miss this week as well.

Both Osborn and Thornton are healthy scratches and are rumored to be trade candidates ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. That should mean more snaps/potential targets for Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but the New England passing game is one to avoid right now.

Russini notes that the 49ers are looking to add help on defense and the team is aware of Godchaux’s availability via trade. While it’s unclear if anything will materialize before Tuesday’s trade deadline, San Francisco certainly fits the mold as a team that wouldn’t mind taking on Godchaux’s salary and parting with draft picks given where the 49ers are in their contention window. Russini also notes that New England is open to trading receivers Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne as well as safety Kyle Dugger.

He was ruled out on Friday, though the injury is not expected to be a long term thing. Antonio Gibson draws the start. Tyquan Thornton, last year’s second-rounder, is a healthy scratch today for the Patriots. Also inactive for the Patriots are: WR Javon Baker, QB Joe Milton, DT Eric Johnson, G Layden Robinson, and LS Joe Cardona.

Thornton ran 21 routes as part of a mix of four Patriots wide receivers that split playing time. This wide receiver rotation is enough to keep them all from fantasy relevancy until a receiver or two separate themselves. Thorton appeared to be emerging as one of the top receivers in training camp, but that didn’t lead to significant usage in the season opener. He’s in wait-and-see mode heading into Week 2’s home matchup with the Seahawks.

Demario Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk are the other two receivers running with the top unit. This report understandably has some caveats. Kyed noted that K.J. Osborn will still be in the mix and Kendrick Bourne will likely be a starter once he comes off the PUP list. Still, it’s a good sign for Thornton coming off a disastrous second season. He went for 91 scoreless yards on 13 receptions in 2023. Thornton is still off the redraft radar but dynasty managers can hold onto him for a little longer.

Despite the statistical air ball, tonight was an indication that Thornton’s roster spot is likely secure after all after he spent much of the summer bandied about as a potential cut. It’s still impossible to forecast re-draft fantasy value for the 24-year-old, but perhaps he will end up making good on the reset opportunity provided by Bill Belichick’s ouster.

This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Thornton, a former second-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, has been slowed by injuries and offered little offense upside when healthy. Through 22 career games, he’s caught just 35 passes for 338 yards and two scores, with most of that production coming in his rookie season. In addition to playing under a new coaching staff, Thornton is also set to compete against rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Polk is already locked into a roster spot as a second-round pick, and the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Baker, which should all but secure his spot. Outside of one or two depth options, the Patriots’ wide receiver room feels fairly in place. It may take a camp injury or two for Thornton to stick on the roster come cut day.