Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton set to make his return on Sunday
The New England Patriots had a busy day on Saturday, making a series of roster moves prior to Sunday's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Among those, the team has officially activated wide receiver Tyquan Thornton from injured reserve, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. They have also opted to elevate receiver Jalen Reagor from the […]
The New England Patriots had a busy day on Saturday, making a series of roster moves prior to Sunday's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Among those, the team has officially activated wide receiver Tyquan Thornton from injured reserve, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports.
They have also opted to elevate receiver Jalen Reagor from the practice squad, with both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas already ruled out for the game due to concussions.
This comes after the Patriots opted to sign Malik Cunningham to the 53-man roster off the practice squad rather than just elevating him. And it's a three-year deal with the 2023 undrafted free agent set to stick around for a little bit.
To make room for these roster moves, the Patriots have placed OLB Matthew Judon and OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on injured reserve according to ESPN's Mike Reiss
Thornton returned to practice on Tuesday and appeared on the injury report all week. And when asked on Friday whether Thornton will be ready to go on Sunday, head coach Bill Belichick didn't give much away.
"We’ll see," he told the media. "Friday is always a big day for those guys after going through Wednesday, Thursday practice – where are they on Friday? Guys that haven’t practiced, are they good to go? They could be kind of sore, not a set back, but need a little bit more time. So, I think today is usually a good indication on those players on how the two heaviest practice days have affected them or not affected them. So, we’ll see.
This is the second straight season that Thornton began the season on injured reserve, having broken his collarbone during the Patriots second preseason game last year. He finished his rookie season with 22 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games.
Thornton suffered a shoulder injury during the first joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 17, making a diving catch from Mac Jones. He landed hard on his shoulder and immediately left practice.
His return will provide the Patriots with a much-needed element on offense: speed. He made headlines at the 2022 NFL combine with his blazing fast 4.28 40-yard dash.
Let's see if this will help bring a spark back to the Patriots offense.
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