Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton reportedly ‘available’ in trade

Tyquan Thornton has caught 37 passes for 365 yards and two TDs over three seasons in New England.

Tyquan Thornton has not made a sizable impact so far in his NFL career with the Patriots. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

The Patriots are reportedly putting one of their wide receivers out on the trade market ahead of the NFL’s Nov. 5 deadline.

In a new story from The Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora about several wide receivers who might be dealt before the deadline, he noted that the Patriots “have let it be known that Tyquan Thornton is available.”

Thornton, drafted in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, has not made a sizable impact with the Patriots over the past three seasons. In 26 career games, Thornton has caught 37 passes for 365 yards and two scores.

New England’s entire passing game has largely been grounded so far in 2024, ranking last in the league in average passing yards per game at 112.3. In total, New England’s wideouts have combined for just 26 catches, 226 receiving yards, and one score this year.

Still, Thornton has struggled to take a significant stride in his own game since arriving in Foxborough. Despite playing in all four of New England’s games so far in 2024, Thornton has only reeled in two catches for 27 yards and no touchdowns.

Given Thornton’s impressive speed, a team might want to give Thornton a look if they feel they can get more out of his game in a new system. Even though the former TCU product has struggled in Foxborough, his separation ability and 0-to-60 acceleration has not been utilized on a Patriots offense that has been unable to generate big plays.

With Jacoby Brissett given little time to operate and scan the field with this banged-up offensive line in front of him, any boundary wideouts like Thornton and Javon Baker are largely negated from their strengths on the outside.

It remains to be seen what type of return New England could secure from a player like Thornton with a pedestrian stat line.

But with the Patriots adding a pair of rookies via the draft in Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in April, New England might be better served giving its next wave of receiving talent more reps moving forward.