It’s been a long road for former 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, and it looks like that journey has finally come to an end.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots have reportedly waived the speedy receiver, finally cutting their losses after multiple attempts to try and get him to become a productive player in their offense.
Coming off seeing the Miami Dolphins add players like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the New England Patriots knew they needed to add speed on offense. Thornton’s selection was a clear sign that they were trying to become more competitive, with Thornton putting up an impressive 4.28 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. At 6’2″, he had the height you look for at that position, but he came into the league at just over 180 pounds, which was far too lean and his skinny frame caused him to stand out like a sore thumb during the club’s minicamp and training camp ahead of that season.
But that small size, and more importantly, Thornton’s lack of strength, ultimately ended up being his downfall. A tackle during a preseason game in his rookie year where Thornton fought for extra yards but was taken to the ground saw him snap his collarbone, which ended up being the beginning of a frustrating tenure for the former Baylor wideout. His other issue from there seemed to be that he struggled to get off the line and fighting off defenders, which saw him spend this past offseason trying to address that problem by adding 10 pounds of muscle to his upper body, with Thornton coming into camp noticeably bigger from that standpoint.
Early in training camp, it felt like he might have finally been on the verge of turning a corner. The third-year receiver put together a good camp and appeared to ascend up the depth chart, with Thornton not seeing a lot of action during the preseason games as the club gave the snaps to guys further down the depth chart as they tried to determine who would ultimately make the 53 man roster. But once the season started, a lot of his problems were once again immediately apparent and it saw a significant drop off in playing time as the season progressed.
After two straight weeks of being inactive against both Houston and Jacksonville, it was a drop against the Jets that many will likely remember as being the last straw. That play came after Drake Maye made a nice throw on a scramble, but Thornton dropped the pass and that moment sort of felt significant at the time.
He hasn’t played since. And after having his name mentioned as a trade candidate ahead of the deadline, along with his name mysteriously appearing on the Patriots injury report this week, it felt like something might have been up.
Bill Belichick had previously said, speed is an attribute that can’t be coached. But as fast as Thornton is, it doesn’t matter if he couldn’t get into his route or catch the football.
What happens from here remains to be seen. But for now, the Patriots are focusing in on their young players like Ja’Lynn Polk, Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Javon Baker. Baker is another player who has struggled to take the next step, although he’s started to ascend after seeing more time on special teams, as well as a handful of offensive snaps. Kendrick Bourne is another player who seems like he’s on shaky ground, with Bourne having ended up as a healthy scratch last week in Chicago.
Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston indicated early this week that Bourne’s issues stem from not being as “detail-oriented” as he needs to be, which has contributed to him having a difficult time establishing himself in Alex Van Pelt’s offense.
“I think it’s two different things that are at play here,” said Curran during an interview with Jones & Keefe on WEEI. “One, they want to get younger guys the ball more often. And I think we saw that with Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, but the guys who are not on their details. And I think that we’ve seen over the course of time, as lovable as Kendrick Bourne is, he’s not a detail-oriented fella. I think it’s the general perception within the organization. He’s well-meaning, happy, and productive as he can sometimes be. He just is prone to mistakes. So, on one hand, you don’t see Javon Baker. Tyquan Thornton is completely in mothballs now.”
“But they’re moving… You have to have somebody out there in terms of you have to have three wideouts. So they have the two tight ends. So DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and K.J. Osborne are your three that you’re going to put up, and you’re going to more or less pound the ball to the two tight ends, Hooper and Henry, and then to Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte, because they’re your best players. Excuse me, Ja’Lynn Polk, I left him out of that conversation, too. But I really think Kayshon Boutte is their best wide receiver, and he’ll probably still be the best wide receiver even when Ja’Lynn Polk improves. I just think he’s a better player.”
In the meantime, the train will move on and Thornton is now a player who will have to try and revitalize his NFL career elsewhere. His departure leaves the Patriots with just Cole Strange, Marcus Jones, and Kevin Harris still standing out of the class of ten selections from that group of 2022 Patriots Draft Picks, and New England will instead move on with a young group that will likely also still see another potential addition next March when they’ll likely again try and address that position in free agency.
That transaction also opened a roster spot for Christian Barmore, who Mike Reiss reported was activated onto the 53-man roster Saturday.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
