Chiefs' Tyquan Thornton: Inks future deal with Kansas City
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Thonton signed a reserve/future contract with Kansas City on Tuesday, Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports reports.
Thornton was waived by the Patriots in mid-November after a disappointing six-game stretch to start the 2024 season, during which he logged just four catches on eight targets for 47 yards. The 2022 second-round pick landed on Kansas City's practice squad Nov. 18, and while he wasn't ever elevated to the active roster, Thornton will have an opportunity to work out with Kansas City during OTAs, minicamp and training camp.
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Tyquan Thornton: Finds new opportunity
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Thornton signed with the Chiefs' practice squad Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Thornton was waived by the Patriots on Saturday after a disappointing three-year run in New England. The Baylor product was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the team but never lived up to expectations. Thornton had been a healthy scratch each of the last two weeks, but he'll now have an opportunity for a fresh start in Kansas City.
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Tyquan Thornton: Let go by New England
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The Patriots waived Thornton on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Selected with the 50th pick overall by New England in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thornton never lived up to expectations over the first two and a half years of his NFL career, partially due to injuries that limited him to just nine appearances in 2023. He's generally stayed healthy in 2024 but has been unable to carve out a regular role in the wideout rotation, as Thornton had been a healthy inactive in four of the previous five contests. The 24-year-old receiver will be a casualty on the 53-man roster with the Patriots needing to make room for star defensive lineman Christian Barmore, who was activated from the reserve/non-football illness list.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Added to injury report
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Thornton (ankle) was limited at practice Thursday.
Thornton practiced fully Wednesday, so it's possible that he tweaked his ankle during Thursday's session. If Thornton is available Sunday against the Titans, he'd profile as a low-percentage fantasy option while working in a New England wideout corps that also includes DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion).
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: On track to play Sunday
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Thornton, who has been a healthy scratch the last two games, is in line to be active Sunday against the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Per head coach Jerod Mayo, Thornton has "had a great week of practice. Hopefully it translates." With Ja'Lynn Polk dealing with a concussion, Thornton should have an opportunity to work into the Patriots' wideout rotation Week 8 behind DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne, but until the speedster puts up some consistent production he's off the fantasy lineup radar. In five games thus far, Thornton has caught two of his five targets for 27 yards.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Healthy inactive once again
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Thornton (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London.
After playing just one snap in the Patriots' Week 5 loss to the Dolphins, Thornton now finds himself as a healthy inactive for the second week in a row. The 2022 second-round pick looks to have fallen out of favor in New England and may need the Patriots to lose another receiver to injury before he gets another opportunity to suit up for a game.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Inactive versus Houston
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Thornton is inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Thornton and Javon Baker are healthy scratches for Sunday's contest. As a result, the Patriots' Week 6 WR corps will be comprised of Ja'Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn and Kayshon Boutte.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Just one snap Sunday
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Thornton was one the field for only one of a possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Dolphins, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Though K.J. Osborn (shoulder) was inactive, Kendrick Bourne (knee) returned to action Sunday and Kayshon Boutte logged 40 snaps. With his playing time tapering off, Thornton is far from the fantasy radar, with Chris Mason of masslive.com suggesting that the 2022 second-rounder could be a trade candidate.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Held without a catch Thursday
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Thornton logged 17 of a possible 52 snaps on offense in Thursday's 24-3 loss to the Jets, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
In the process, Thornton did not catch his only target in the contest. With a 2-27-0 receiving line through three games, the 2022 second-rounder is off the fantasy radar while working as the Patriots' No. 4 WR behind DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn and Ja'Lynn Polk.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Two catches versus Bengals
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Thornton, who was on the field for 38 of 65 snaps on offense in the Patriots' 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals on Sunday, caught two of his three targets for 27 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton was in the Patriots' starting lineup along with DeMario Douglas (39 snaps) and K.J. Osborn (40 snaps), whilerookie second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk was also out there for 35 snaps in Week 1. Though Thornton appears to be carving out a steady role in the team's passing offense in 2024, he won't be a reliable fantasy lineup option until or unless he sees consistent looks from QB Jacoby Brissett, or 2024 third overall pick Drake Maye once he takes the reins.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Carving out role in third season
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Thornton, who Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site projects to make the team's 53-man roster, has been running with New England's top offense this summer.
Per Lazar, the 2022 second-rounder, who is playing at 192 pounds these days, looks more sturdy on the field with the added weight. Thornton struggled to stay healthy over his first two years as a pro, but he now has a chance to emerge as a field-stretcher in the Patriots offense. Whether such a role yields enough volume for him to make a fantasy impact remains to be seen, with DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn and Javon Baker also in the mix for targets in New England's re-tooled WR corps.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Nine snaps versus Philadelphia
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Thornton was on the field for nine snaps on offense in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.
Thornton didn't see any targets in his limited action versus Philadelphia, but he did line up with the starting offense for the second straight exhibition contest. He has a chance to parlay his speed into a role in a Patriots' wideout corps that could be without Kendrick Bourne (knee) early on, competing for snaps with DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Puts on muscle in offseason
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Thornton now weighs 192 pounds, up from his listed weight of 185 pounds, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
The 2022 second-round pick is still quite thin for a wide receiver, but it's an improvement from the 2022 Combine, when he checked in at 6-foot-2, 181 pounds. The 4.28 speed he showcased at said combine hasn't gotten him far in the NFL, with Thornton now on the roster bubble after catching 35 passes in 22 games over his first two NFL seasons. He may end up competing for one spot with Jalen Reagor, a fellow speedster (and draft bust) who offers more potential to contribute on special teams.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Role this season TBD
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With the Patriots having selected two wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft, Thornton's standing on the team's depth chart is unclear ahead of training camp, per Chad Graff of the Athletic.
In his post-draft roster assessment, Graff suggests that Thornton, who is presumably past the ankle issue that sidelined him in the Patriots' 2023 regular-season finale, isn't a roster lock ahead of Week 1. Over the first two years of his pro career, the 2022 second-rounder has had trouble staying on the field and has been limited to 35 catches in 22 contests in that span. While Thornton's speed could help him stick around if he has a strong summer, for now he currently has Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kayshon Boutte to contend with for depth chart slotting.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches 13 passes in 2023
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Thornton finished the 2023 season with 13 catches (on 23 targets) for 91 yards and three carries for 51 yards in nine games for the Patriots.
The Patriots traded up in the 2022 NFL Draft to draft Thornton 50th overall, but the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has struggled to stay on the field during his first two years as a pro. With that in mind, an ankle issue sidelined Thornton for the team's season finale, but he'll presumably be healthy ahead of the 2024 campaign. The Baylor product -- who is under contract with New England through the 2025 season -- does have the speed to potentially make an impact as a deep threat, but his role next season remains to be seen, with plenty of roster churn expected following New England's 4-13 campaign.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Won't play Sunday
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Thornton (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Thornton approached the contest listed as questionable after logging a limited practice Friday, and he'll end up missing the Patriots' season finale. In his absence, DeVante Parker, Demario Douglas, Jalen Reagor and Kayshon Boutte will handle the team's Week 18 WR duties. The 2022 second-rounder thus finishes the 2023 campaign with 13 catches on 23 targets for 91 yards in nine games.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Questionable with ankle injury
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Thornton (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Thornton and fellow wide receiver DeVante Parker (ribs) are both questionable for Sunday's season finale. Thornton had a season-high 24 receiving yards after Parker exited early in the Week 17 loss to Buffalo, but the second-year speedster's ceiling will be capped regardless of his teammate's status, especially against the stingy Jets secondary.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Suits up Sunday
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Thornton (hamstring) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
Thornton was listed as questionable for the contest after logging limited practices Thursday and Friday. The 2022 second-rounder recorded a season-high 54 (of a possible 57) snaps on offense in the Patriots' 21-18 win over the Steelers on Dec. 7 en route to catching three of his five targets for 17 yards, but with fellow WRs Demario Douglas (concussion) and DeVante Parker (knee) back in action, Thornton is a speculative fantasy lineup option in Week 15.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Questionable for Week 15
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Thornton (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
Thornton was added to the injury report Thursday and finished the week with a pair of limited practices. After playing 54 of 57 snaps last week against the Steelers, Thornton will likely slide back to a depth role if he's active this week. Demario Douglas is due back from his concussion.
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Patriots' Tyquan Thornton: Catches three passes Thursday
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Thornton logged a season-high 54 (of a possible 57) snaps on offense in Thursday's 21-18 win over the Steelers, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
With fellow WRs Demario Douglas (concussion), DeVante Parker (knee) and Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) all inactive, Thornton drew the start alongside JuJu Smith-Schuster, who led the team with 90 receiving yards. Thornton, on the other hand, finished with three catches for 17 yards on five targets, failing to take advantage of a big opportunity. With New England's next game coming 10 days after Thursday's win -- Dec. 17 against the Chiefs -- the team's wideout corps could be less thinned-out for Week 15, a context that likely would leave Thornton with less playing time.
