Tyquan Thronton’s time with the New England Patriots has come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that the team had released the former 2022 second-round draft pick.
It didn’t happen through a trade, as some expected might have been the case ahead of the November 5 deadline. The writing was already on the wall for Thornton’s future in New England. It was time to chalk him up as a bust and move on.
Thornton had size, speed and impressive athletic traits that were initially believed to be good enough to be a huge lift to the offense, if you aligned with the Bill Belichick way of thinking.
George Pickens was also still on the draft board, but he was ultimately selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers after the Patriots made the decision to go with Thornton instead.
Pickens is on pace for his second straight 1,000-yard season, while Thornton couldn’t get on the field with one of the least productive receiving rooms in the NFL. Since joining the Patriots, Thornton has only mustered 39 receptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns in two-and-a-half seasons.
Ouch.
The Patriots had a logjam at receiver with seven wideouts on the 53-man roster. Thornton initially started the year as the team’s No. 1 outside option, but then he was replaced with Kayshon Boutte, who has been far more consistent in games.
The new regime wasn’t responsible for drafting Thornton, but they were responsible for drafting Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Both of the rookies have struggled this season, and the Patriots can only hope their situations don’t end up like Thornton’s.
For all of the criticism surrounding Belichick for his struggles at drafting good receiving talent, he had two solid hits on 2023 sixth-round picks, Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
Coach Jerod Mayo and lead personnel executive Eliot Wolf need to knock it out of the park at receiver through the draft or free agency. They hit on the right quarterback with rookie Drake Maye, who looks every bit as promising as advertised.
The clock is ticking.
