Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 205 lbs |
| Birthplace: Baltimore, MD |
| Age: 23 |
| School: Tennessee |
| Experience: 2 |
Next Game
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8:21Biggest Questions After Camp: AFC West
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1:42Malik Benson Emerging as Legit WR Option
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1:39Highlights: Dylan Sampson, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and James Pearce Jr. at Tennessee's Pro Day
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1:34Dont'e Thornton Jr. reveals his favorite NFL Combine meeting and the pro wide receiver he resembles most
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1:06Tennessee WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. details mindset change that led to his big-play success in 2024
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1:07NFL Week 9 Picks: Raiders at 49ers
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65:32Russell Wilson, Kyle Long react to NFL Week 8: JJ Watt joins, Seahawks-Bears recap, NFC North talk | Set, Hut!
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14:328 Players You NEED to Add For Week 9! Washington Jr., Allgeier, & Singletary! | FFT
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73:00Week 9 Waiver Wire: MUST ADD Players, Injury Replacements & Streamers | FFT
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1:43Seattle Seahawks' Shrinking Playoff Margin
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1:34NFL Trade Prediction: Kirk Cousins to the Vikings?
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1:47NFL Trade Prediction: Jonathan Taylor to the Broncos
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1:32Brandon Aiyuk Hires Agent, Seeks Return to NFL
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1:12NFL Mock Draft: Five Wide Receivers Land In Round 1
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7:295 Quarterbacks the Ravens Should Target
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1:18Stock Up: Bhayshul Tuten Earning High Praise in Jacksonville
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1:32Stock Down: Why Ashton Jeanty Has Struggled In Las Vegas
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59:00Week 8 Recap: Lamar Jackson INJURED + Parker Washington PANIC & Trade Advice | FFT
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1:02Reaction to Minkah Fitzpatrick's 'Jets Being Jets' Quote
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1:56Vikings' Needs at Trade Deadline
Top Dont'e Thornton Jr. News
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Won't play against NYJ
Thornton (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Thornton was activated from injured reserve Tuesday after fully recovering from a hamstring injury, but the second-year pro will be a healthy scratch for Week 8. In his absence, the Raiders will turn to Jack Bech, Cody White and Dareke Young to serve as the rotational wide receivers behind Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. Thornton's next chance to play is Week 9 against the 49ers on Nov. 8.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Makes return from IR
The Raiders reinstated Thornton (hamstring) from injured reserve Tuesday.
With Thornton's 21-day practice window coming to a close this week, the Raiders elected to move him back on to the 53-man roster. A full participant in each of the Raiders' last nine practices, Thornton looks like he'll be ready to play this Sunday against the Jets, but he may not be in store for a meaningful role in the receiver rotation. He struggled to carve out consistent volume in the passing game as a rookie fourth-round pick in 2025, putting together a 10-135-0 receiving line on 30 targets over 15 appearances.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Staying on IR for Week 7
Thornton (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton logged a trio of full practices during Week 7 prep, but head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters Friday that the second-year wide receiver will remain on injured reserve for at least one more week. Thornton's 21-day practice window opened Oct. 7, and he would be forced to miss the rest of the 2026 season if the Raiders do not activate him from IR by Wednesday.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Logs another full practice Wednesday
Thornton (hamstring) was a full participant at practice Wednesday.
Thornton has now been practicing at full speed for two entire weeks, but he's still waiting to be officially activated from the Raiders' injured reserve list. The team has until the end of this week to move him back onto the active roster before he'd have to spend the rest of the campaign on IR by rule.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Not activated this week
Thornton (hamstring) won't be activated from injured reserve for Sunday's game against the Bills, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton has been a full practice participant for two weeks, and he can practice for one more week before the Raiders have to make a decision on activating him from IR or leaving him there for the rest of the year. He'll likely be activated, but it isn't clear there's a role for him in the offense.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Full practice Wednesday
Thornton (hamstring) was a full participant at the Raiders' practice Wednesday.
Thornton has spent the entirety of the regular season on injured reserve while recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered in early August. The wide receiver returned to practice last week, logging three full practices, but he ultimately did not play in the team's 45-17 loss to the Patriots in Week 5. Thornton will look to prove his health and be activated from injured reserve prior to Sunday's matchup with Buffalo.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Won't return for Week 5
Thornton (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots, Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com reports.
Thornton was a full participant in all three Week 5 prep practices but will not be activated from IR for Sunday's contest. The wide receiver was designated to return to practice Wednesday and the Raiders likely deemed the 23-year-old to not be adjusted to NFL physicality enough to return to the field the same week.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: No limits at practice Wednesday
Thornton (hamstring) was a full participant at practice Wednesday, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.
The Raiders designated Thornton for return to practice from their injured reserve list Wednesday, and it appears he may be close to being officially activated. The fact that free-agent acquisitions Jalen Nailor (concussion) and Cody White (ankle) are tending to injuries could give Las Vegas additional incentive to get Thornton ready for game action sooner than later.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Practice window opened
The Raiders designated Thornton (undisclosed) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton was injured over the summer and missed the first four games of the 2026 regular season. It's unclear what kind of role he'll have under the new coaching staff in Las Vegas. The Raiders have been relying on Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor (concussion) and Cody White at wideout of late while funneling their passing game through Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Could return to practice ahead of Week 5
Head coach Klint Kubiak said Friday that the hope is that Thornton (undisclosed) will be back at practice for practice ahead of the Raiders' Week 5 road tilt against the Patriots, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
Thornton opened the season on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury that prevented him from participating in the majority of August practices during training camp. Once he's cleared to return, Thornton will likely operate in a depth role at wide receiver behind Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Cody White.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Sent to injured reserve
The Raiders placed Thornton (undisclosed) on injured reserve Monday.
It's still unclear what is bothering Thornton, but he'll now be required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season. The 2025 fourth-rounder corralled just 10 of 30 targets for 135 scoreless yards across 15 regular-season appearances as a rookie last season and missed the entire preseason this summer. Under a new coaching staff, it's unclear what kind of role Thornton will have this season once healthy.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Still not practicing
Thornton (undisclosed) didn't practice Monday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Per Levi Damien of USA Today, Thornton has been missing from practice for the past of couple weeks and has yet to play this preseason. When he's able to return,Thornton will look to reestablish his slotting in a Raiders WR corps that also includes Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and Malik Benson.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Misses reps
Thornton (undisclosed) did not participate in Sunday's practice, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton was present at the Raiders' facility doing work off to the side out of pads. The wide receiver missed Thursday's preseason opener against the Cardinals and will continue to miss valuable reps as he recovers from a minor issue. The missed reps allow Malik Benson and Jack Bech to extend their lead in the competition for the No. 3 receiver spot, with Benson in particular pulling ahead as he continues to see reps with the first-team offense.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Set to return during preseason
Thornton (undisclosed) did not play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Cardinals.
The wide receiver exited last Friday's practice with an injury. Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reported that Thornton is expected to return to the field at some point during the preseason, but there is no specific week targeted. The Raiders' receiving room is currently wide open, and the more time the 23-year-old misses, the harder it will be to take one of the top slots.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Still dealing with injury
Thornton (undisclosed) did not participate at the Raiders' training camp practice Tuesday, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton left practice early last week Friday after presumably suffering some type of injury, and he still hasn't been able to make his way back onto the practice field. If he can't play in Thursday's preseason contest versus the Cardinals, it could open up more opportunities for rookie sixth-rounder Malik Benson and offseason free-agent acquisition Dareke Young.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Leaves Friday's practice early
Thornton (undisclosed) exited Friday's practice early, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton, who is coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 10 passes for 135 yards on 30 targets over 15 games, is competing with Jack Bech and Malik Benson for slotting in a Las Vegas WR corps that's led by Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. Any missed time won't help his cause, but in any case the team's No. 3 option at the position may not see heavy volume in 2026, with two-TE sets featuring Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer likely to be used frequently this season.
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