The New Orleans Saints just swung and missed a bit on adding a young wide receiver to the mix after a massive Week 11 win over the struggling Cleveland Browns.
Tyquan Thornton
The New England Patriots decided to move on from the young wide receiver on November 16th. Thornton's speed is what got New England excited about him as a prospect, but his overall skillset has not quite gelled in the NFL yet.
The Saints had interest in signing the former second-round selection. Alas, the Chiefs will get Thornton to join their practice squad, according to reports.
In 28 games with the Patriots, Thornton recorded39 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns, with the majority of that production coming in his rookie season. Thornton, at No. 50 overall, was drafted shortly before the Chiefs selected wide receiver Skyy Moore at No. 54 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh selected George Pickens at No. 52, while Indianapolis took Alec Pierce at No. 53. -- Sports Illustrated
New Orleans could use some wide receiver depth.
Even as a bit of a bust so far in Thornton, the Saints could have used his speed to add to a room that already has Marquez Valdes-Scantling playing a legitimate downfield role weekly. There was a possibility that he would get snaps early on if he joined New Orleans.
They've lost Rashid Shaheed for the season, and Chris Olave is on injured reserve. He may not play again this season, either, depending on his prognosis as he recovers from another concussion.
Mason Tipton was a healthy scratch in Week 11, proving just how volatile the position is for the Saints at the moment. For multiple weeks before that, he was starting on the offense. Now, Kevin Austin Jr. has that role, and veteran WR Dante Pettis is returning punts.
Thornton would have been a young, intriguing addition, but he will instead head to the one-loss Chiefs to try to bolster their depth at wideout. The Saints, fresh off two wins, sit at 4-7.
