Patriots Rumors: Tyquan Thornton Seemingly Avoids ‘Serious’ Injury

Training camp, and the preseason as a whole, hasn’t been kind to New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton in the past.

Thornton began each of his first two NFL seasons on injured reserve after suffering shoulder injuries in the preseason.

So, when Thornton was absent from Patriots training camp practice Saturday it raised red flags that the frail pass-catcher was once again dealing with a notable injury.

But the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, who cited a source, refuted that idea and gave an optimistic update on Thornton.

“Tyquan Thornton’s absence at Patriots practice today is not considered to be long-term or serious,” Callahan wrote on the X platform. “Thornton has a bad injury history, specifically in training camp and the preseason; something the team has been mindful of.”

Perhaps it was a maintenance day for Thornton since he has yet to miss a single training camp practice. He sure can’t miss much time,, though, especially with his roster status rocky. Thornton has stood out so far in training camp but is in a heated battle with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor for one of the final wide receiver spots.

Thornton has been completely underwhelming with New England after the Patriots used a second-round pick on the Baylor product in the 2022 draft. He played in only 22 of a possible 34 games while accumulating just 35 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns, none of which came last season.

Thornton’s positioning with the team could very well depend on how long he’s out. But if it isn’t a serious injury, it’s possible he could return Monday when the Patriots practice next.