Former Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton signed to Chiefs practice squad
FOXBORO -- It didn't take long for former New England Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton to find a new home. The Patriots draft bust will get a fresh start with the Chiefs, reportedly signing with Kansas City's practice squad on Monday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was first to report that Thornton had found a new home with Kansas City on Monday afternoon. Thornton was released by the Patriots on Saturday after two-plus seasons in New England.
Tyquan Thornton's Patriots career
There was a lot of hype surrounding the speedy Thornton after the Patriots drafted him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Baylor. Bill Belichick and Matt Groh drafted Thornton ahead of George Pickens, who went two picks later to the Steelers and has been one of Pittsburgh's top playmakers since coming into the league.
Thornton was injured by the end of his first two training camps in New England, and struggled to make plays (and catches) when he was healthy. He played in just 28 games over his two-plus seasons with the Patriots, and tallied only 39 receptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns.
There was some hope that Thornton could turn things around in 2024 after a pretty solid summer, but he once again failed to live up to the hype. After catching two passes in New England's Week 1 win over the Bengals, he wasn't targeted at all in Week 2 against Seattle while playing 46 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps. He saw just one pass go his way in both Weeks 3 and 4, and played just one offensive snap in Week 5.
Thornton was inactive in Weeks 6 and 7, and then caught two passes on three targets for 20 yards in a Week 8 win over the New York Jets. But he was inactive for Weeks 9 and 10, and the Patriots finally cut ties with the receiver on Saturday.
Now Thornton will have a chance to turn his career around with the Chiefs, and potentially catch passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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