Discarded Patriots Pass-Catcher Lands With Super Bowl Champions

The New England Patriots gave up on Tyquan Thornton, but the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs think the draft bust has something to offer.

Thornton joined the Chiefs practice squad on Monday, November 18, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, mere days after being released by the Pats.

That’s quite a turnaround for Thornton. He’s gone from being ditched by a rebuilding team with a losing record, to having the chance to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes for the winners of the last two Lombardi Trophies.

The Patriots will surely be left kicking themselves if the Chiefs are able to unlock Thornton’s raw physical talent in a way they never could. Stranger things have happened.

Chiefs Could Salvage Patriots Draft Flop

Patriots fans will likely have a chuckle at the thought of the Chiefs hoping to rely on Thornton in any capacity. They’ve seen the second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft drop passes, struggle to bulk up and get comfortable on injured reserve.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth, though. If any team is going to tap into Thornton’s potential, it’s the Chiefs.

That potential is based on the former Baylor standout’s ability to stretch the field, both horizontally and vertically. Thornton has the speed to match Mahomes’ arm strength and fit in a Chiefs scheme built around rapid strikes to big-play threats.

The originators of the ‘Legion of Zoom‘ make sense as a fit for Thornton. What’s less clear is who the Patriots intend to trust to help them move on from a wideout who never made the grade.

Tyquan Thornton Succession Plan Remains Unclear

Exactly who are the Patriots counting on to be the field-stretcher rookie quarterback Drake Maye still needs? The Pats drafted Ja’Lynn Polk in the second round this year, hoping he’d quickly emerge as a go-to target.

Things aren’t going to plan, with head coach Jerod Mayo confirming veteran Kendrick Bourne will take on a bigger role than the rookie, per Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald: “Kendrick had a great game, and Polk is developing, and he will be a good player in this league. As the head coach of this football team we’re trying to win right now, and whoever the hot hand happens to be in that situation will play more.”

Polk’s struggles played out alongside Bourne’s ascendancy during Week 11’s 28-22 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. The contrast showed up in the target share for each receiver, with Establish The Run’s Adam Levitan noting Bourne ran 23 routes, compared to Polk’s 15.

The heavier workloads for last season’s late-round picks Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas indicates the Patriots are still rebalancing the pecking order among their receiver corps. It’s unlikely a true No. 1 option will emerge from this disjointed group.

Finding one of those should be the priority for Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf in 2025. Until then, the Patriots will be left counting the cost of numerous draft missteps at this key position.

Thornton is the most recent among a list that also includes N’Keal Harry and Aaron Dobson. If Thornton were to make good with the Chiefs, it would be a sign the Patriots problem is not identifying receivers with talent, but developing them.

That flaw could prove fatal for the progression of Maye and what needs to be a more dynamic supporting cast.