More and more information is starting to leak out about a collarbone injury New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton suffered in Friday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
While coach Bill Belichick didn't provide much insight, NFL Network's Mike Giardi gave some clarity on how long the rookie wide receiver could be sidelined for. Giardi tweeted out Saturday that a source told him Thornton is expected to be out for "around eight weeks."
Giardi was also cautioned by the source that the recovery timeline for Thornton could change because "everyone heals at their own rate."
Thornton suffered the injury in New England's 20-10 win over the Panthers, in which he hauled in only one catch for 13 yards. It's unclear if he got hurt on that play as he was brought down hard to the turf by multiple Carolina defenders.
If the timeline Giardi was told checks out, Thornton would presumably miss the first six weeks of the regular season. With Thornton now banged up, the Patriots could put him on the 53-man roster when the time comes before placing him on injured reserve, according to The Providence Journal's Mark Daniels.
Thornton, who the Patriots selected at No. 50 overall in the second round of this year's draft, showed promising signs throughout the preseason and training camp of coming right in and contributing to the offense. In the preseason opener against the New York Giants, the Baylor product even recorded a two-yard touchdown reception.
But Patriots fans will now have to wait to see Thornton back on the field with the wideout suffering the first setback of his NFL career.
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