Report: Tyquan Thornton signing with Kansas City Chiefs practice squad

Veteran NFL wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is signing a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. This comes after Thornton was waived by the New England Patriots on Saturday.

Thornton was selected in the second round by the Patriots in the 2022 draft. In 28 career games with 13 starts, the former Baylor Bears star caught 39 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns.

When the Patriots drafted Thornton, they believed he was going to be a deep threat since he ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. But Thornton never became that player in New England, leading to the team releasing him after activating defensive lineman Christian Barmore to the active roster. Barmore practiced for the first time on Thursday after being diagnosed with blood clots in late July.

During training camp this year, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo expressed his confidence in Thornton taking that next step. “Tyquan is one of those guys — physically he has all the tools,” Mayo said, per MSN. “Obviously, we all know that he can run. Now he just has to put it all together, and I feel very confident with our offensive coordinator and our receiver coaches to get him to the point where he can make an impact for our team.”

Tyquan Thornton dealt with his share of challenges in 2024

Thornton was fighting an uphill battle this season since the Patriots selected wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in this year’s draft. Additionally, second-year receiver Kayson Boutte has emerged, and it has led to Thornton being inactive in four of the last five games.

When speaking to reporters at training camp during the summer, Thorton talked about the biggest thing he’s done to have a strong start to the workouts. “Basically just focus on coming out here, putting my best foot forward and being in a relationship with the quarterbacks,” he said, “and getting out here and just doing my job.”