Patriots fans were anxious to see second-year receiver Tyquan Thornton have a bounce-back year after a sub-par rookie campaign. However, those hopes were diminished when Thornton landed on the Injured Reserve for the second consecutive year during training camp.
After suffering a shoulder injury during joint practices against the Packers, the Patriots placed Thronton on the IR on Thursday, August 31st.
However, sources tell The Patriots Beat Thornton is trending in the right direction and could be activated as soon as next week.
Thornton, who is 23 years old, was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Baylor. The 6-foot-2 182-pound wideout, started nine games his rookie year, recording 11 catches for 247 yards and two scores.
Like 2023, Thornton missed the first four games of 2022 because of a shoulder injury. However, Thronton returned in Week 5 and made his pro debut against the Detroit Lions.
Thornton was a four-year starter at Baylor and delivered in clutch moments as a Bear. He made strides all four years and had his most productive season in 2021 as a senior, where he caught 62 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. The receiver was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where the Patriots did extensive work and invited Thornton for a visit. The Patriots liked Thornton so much that they traded the 54th and 158th slots to the Kansas City Chiefs to move up to 50th overall to select him.
As a rookie, he showed that he can succeed despite those shortcomings. Thornton ended the season playing exactly half of the Patriots’ 1,052 offensive snaps (526) and saw action as both a receiver and a ball carrier: he had 22 catches on 45 targets for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also carried the ball three times for 16 yards and another score.
When Thornton returns, he is expected to primarily be the “X” receiver on the offense. Thornton will try and add a vertical element to an offense struggling with chunk plays. The wideout is arguably the fastest straight-line receiver on the Patriots and could help the offense tremendously. Thornton needs to show growth from last year, or the Patriots could decide to trade the young receiver at the trade deadline or next offseason.
The Patriots will play the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday at 4:25. The game will air on FOX and can be viewed nationwide.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
