Chiefs coach makes it known that one dynamic player needs to be and will be on the field more than he has been
The Chiefs need to get Thornton on the field more.
On both sides of the ball, there are Kansas City Chiefs players who should be playing more. On the defensive side, this last week, it was rookie cornerback Nohl Williams. On the offensive side of the ball, it’s wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.
Thornton was one of the focal points of the deep passing game at the start of the season, and now it feels like he’s barely on the field with Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Hollywood Brown all healthy. Thornton is really, really good, too, and he’s super fast.
Kansas City has to find a way to get him on the field more, and it knows that.
“I think he’s [wide receiver Tyquan Thornton] talented back there — he’s got really good patience, he’s got the burst, and he has the ability to bounce it and outrun everybody. If he’s gonna be sitting on the bench, I’m gonna try to get him on the field,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub told reporters on Thursday when asked about Thornton on special teams.
Thornton’s speed and skill set are too advantageous not to use
In the first three games of the season, Thornton played 44, 45, and 55 snaps on offense. In those games, he played a combined four special teams snaps, as Thornton was too busy going for 171 and two touchdowns on nine catches in that span.
Since then, Thornton has not been above 45% of the snaps after being around 75% the first three games. In the last two games, Thornton was around the 25% mark in terms of snaps played on offense. Between Weeks 3 and 8, Thornton hadn’t played any special teams snaps. In Week 9, he played five special teams snaps, and last week he played 15.
Tyquan Thornton’s 2025 stats
- Games Played: 10
- Receptions: 16
- Receiving Yards: 372
- Yards Per Reception: 23.3
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
- Longest Reception: 61 yards
- Total Targets: 22
- Yards Per Game: 37.2
It’s clear the Chiefs have recognized that he needs to be on the field more. Thornton is so fast, and he has a great sense of elusiveness about him when he does have the ball in his hands. Putting him on kick or punt return, especially when special teams has been so bad, could help the team, the more we see it.
At the same time, Thornton also needs to be on the field on offense more, too. The offense has been in a weird spot lately, and having a guy who can stretch the field, and is a different look than Worthy, Brown, and Rice – the guys teams are prepping for the most, could add another wrinkle. But the Chiefs recognize all of this. Against the Indianapolis Colts, Thornton could definitely be on the field more than he was against the Denver Broncos.
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