Patriots Country

Patriots Release Former Second-Round Pick

The New England Patriots have cut their losses and released a former second-round pick.

Evan Massey

Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (11) during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Aug 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (11) during the first half against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots have struggled to get quality production out of the wide receiver position so far this season. Unfortunately, that lack of production has come even though they have brought in some receivers fairly high in recent NFL Draft classes.

One of those wide receivers is Tyquan Thornton.

Thornton was originally drafted by the Patriots with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. A second-round pick, he was expected to come in and make a major impact.

Obviously, that has not ended up being the case.

New England finally put an end to the disappointing experiment. On Saturday morning, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, they decided to waive Thornton and move on from the mistake that they made in the 2022 draft.

At just 24-years-old, Thornton will still have an opportunity to turn things around. He's young and still has the talent that the Patriots saw in him when they drafted him so high.

He'll need to land in an ideal situation, but his career is not over at this point in time.

For New England, this is a very tough and disappointing move. Making mistakes with second-round picks is never a good situation.

Throughout his tenure with the Patriots, Thornton ended up playing in 28 total games. He caught 39 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns.

Finishing out his tenure with New England with those numbers has to be disappointing for Thornton as well. He simply was never able to figure things out and put his full potential together on the field.

Looking ahead to the future, the Patriots will need to figure out a fix for the wide receiver position. Tee Higgins is a name that many believe they will target in free agency. With Drake Maye being a young franchise quarterback who has displayed superstar potential, they have to support him with legitimate weapons.

Thornton wasn't able to be that guy, but the front office can move on and find a new option or two during the upcoming offseason.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

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