For the Patriots, a three-game losing streak appears to have sent the good vibes that the team was feeling after the Week 1 win over the Bengals—and even the tough Week 2 loss to the Seahawks—tumbling into the dustbin of memory. Reports from Foxboro this week have the Patriots a divided bunch, with one team reporter suggesting the locker room is at the point of a “mutiny.”
Ah, but a 1-3 record through four games is just about where most would have expected the Patriots to be heading into the season. They’ve got a scantily used backup as their starting quarterback, a ramshackle offensive line, and a solid defense that’s dealing with injury issues. Oh, and their top offensive star, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, has been benched because he has fumbled in each of the team’s four games.
This group was always going to be aimed toward the future, though, so the early struggles should come as little surprise. If anything, the big date on the Patriots calendar should be November 5—that’s the NFL trade deadline, and the team’s best chance to turn current players into future assets.
According to the Washington Post, one such current player could well be one of former coach Bill Belichick’s biggest mistakes—wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.
‘Tyquan Thornton Is Available’
Veteran NFL reporter Jason La Canfora of the Post detailed the many wide-receiver options that could be on the trade market in the coming weeks, and while Raiders star Davante Adams is clearly the top name on the list, he also included Thornton as a candidate to be dealt.
La Canfora wrote: “Team executives predicted the long-suffering New York Giants will end up trading either Darius Slayton or Jalin Hyatt, while the New England Patriots have let it be known that Tyquan Thornton is available.”
He later wrote, “Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick for New England, is on a similarly ineffective offense but has strong measurables.”
Indeed, Thornton is by far the fastest player on the Patriots’ offense, having run a 4.28 40-yard dash at the 2022 combine. Both of the New England rookie receivers (Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker) were over 4.5 in their 40 times.
Patriots Blew 2022 Draft Pick
But measurables are part of the problem with Thornton. He can run, but he has shown little ability to do much else on the football field, especially not stay healthy. Thornton had just 35 catches in 22 games in his first two injury-wracked seasons in New England.
Thornton was a stretch at the No. 50 pick overall in 2022—NFL.com’s mock draft had him slated as pick No. 99—and Belichick passed on the likes of George Pickens, Romeo Doubs and Alec Pierce to take him.
In Bleacher Report’s scouting report from two years ago, it was pointed out that Thornton was more of a runner than a catcher.
“Thornton is a tall, skinny burner at the receiver position whose play speed matches his timed speed,” the site pointed out. “He is a twitchy athlete who flashes good body control as a route-runner and the ability to tempo his excellent long speed. … He doesn’t completely trust his hands; drops and double catches crop up.”
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Patriots Make Former 2nd-Round WR ‘Available’ in Trade Talks: Report