Head coach Mike Vrabel and his coaching staff are tasked with trimming down the roster to 53 men by 4 p.m. ET. The New England Patriots made a bunch of moves this offseason, but it's time to see who will stick around for the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, there are former Patriots who will be playing for different teams this fall. And on Tuesday, NFL insider Jordan Schlutz reported that wide receiver Tyquan Thornton has made the Kansas City Chiefs' final roster.
#Chiefs WR Tyquan Thornton, the former #Patriots 2nd-round pick, has made Kansas City’s 53-man roster, per multiple sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2025
Thornton, who has 4.28 speed, spent last year on the practice squad, impressed in camp and preseason, and is now poised to have a role in the offense with… https://t.co/kHxp407rlf pic.twitter.com/BtvwvAcfQq
Former Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton Makes Chiefs 53-Man Roster
Last November, Thornton signed with the Chiefs' practice squad before signing a future deal with them in February. He has stood out throughout the spring and summer, reeling in passes from multiple quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes.
In the preseason, Thornton reeled in three catches (five targets) for 87 receiving yards (29 yards per reception). In 32 offensive snaps, he finished with a 75.1 offensive grade, per Pro Football Focus. He now joins Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Jalen Royals, and Hollywood Brown as the locks in the WR room.
It'll be interesting to see who else makes the team, but at worst, he's the WR4 or WR5 in a pass-heavy offensive scheme.
Seeing Thornton show potential in KC has to be annoying for New England. They used a second-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL draft, but he was never able to put it together with the Pats. In 28 career games (13 starts) for New England, he had 39 receptions for 385 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The last time he scored a touchdown was in his rookie year back in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, Thornton couldn't even put up 100 receiving yards in each season and was a massive miss.
Sometimes, a player needs a change of scenery to get the best production out of him. And that may be the case with the Baylor product. It can't hurt playing with Mahomes as Chiefs HC Andy Reid dials up the plays.
Thornton did enough to impress the staff, and now it's all about keeping the momentum up for the season. Thornton has the chance to revive his career and will be doing so with a Super Bowl contender.
Patriots fans will be keeping a close eye on Thornton in KC and see if he ever lives up to that second-round draft grade.