New England Patriots - NESN.com
When the New England Patriots cut Tyquan Thornton late last season, it wasn’t necessarily expected he would become an impact player somewhere in the near term.
That appears to be the case in Kansas City, however.
The 2022 second-round pick never found his footing in New England. Drafted out of Baylor to be a vertical threat for Mac Jones, Thornton struggled to ever really break out in practice or game settings. After consistently getting phased out of the offense, Jerod Mayo and Co. cut him loose in in November.
Thornton latched on with the Chiefs practice squad to wrap up 2024. He made the team out of camp this season, and with a wide-open wideout room, he has since emerged as one of Patrick Mahomes’ most reliable options.
Case in point, his five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, all team highs, in Sunday’s 22-9 win over the New York Giants. Among the catches was one Mahomes said was targeted for Hollywood Brown, but Thornton ended up reeling in instead.
Whether Thornton is a late bloomer or was misused by the Patriots remains to be seen. But the early returns in 2025 are promising for Thornton, a reality that must give a Patriots team that’s been desperate for quality pass-catchers the shivers.
Sunday marked the first win of the season for the Chiefs. Thornton now has nine receptions for 171 yards with a pair of touchdowns across three games this season. For comparison, he had 247 receiving yards as a rookie with the Patriots and never eclipsed the 100-yard threshold again.
