After a month on injured reserve, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton finally is beginning to contribute for the New England Patriots.
Bailey Zappe believes he’s just scratching the surface.
Speaking Monday on WEEI’s “Merloni, Fauria & Mego,” the rookie quarterback teased an impending breakout for Thornton, who made his delayed NFL debut two weeks ago.
“(Sunday) I think was only a tiny bit of what he can do,” Zappe said.
Thornton finished with just 37 yards on four receptions Sunday, but he found the end zone twice in New England’s 38-15 win over the Cleveland Browns — once on a 2-yard touchdown strike from Zappe and again on a 19-yard jet sweep.
The second-round draft pick began the game as the Patriots’ fourth receiver but moved up a rung after Kendrick Bourne suffered a toe injury on New England’s opening possession. With Nelson Agholor (hamstring, inactive) also unavailable, Thornton played 40 of his team’s 70 offensive snaps and logged seven touches (four catches, three carries), more than any other Patriots wideout or tight end.
Those three rushing attempts equaled Thornton’s total from his entire four-year collegiate career at Baylor. Now that he’s back in the lineup, the Patriots clearly are scheming up ways to get the ball to their fastest player.
It’s not yet clear whether Agholor or Bourne will be healthy enough to return this week, but Thornton could see another heavy workload when the Patriots host the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football.”
“He’s a dynamic receiver, no doubt,” Zappe said on WEEI. “He’s fast, he runs great routes, he catches the ball very well. He fits right in with our great receiver group.”
