Patriots

Tyquan Thornton reportedly expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks following collarbone surgery

The promising rookie will likely miss at least the first four games of the season.

Tyquan Thornton reportedly won't be on the field for a bit. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

August 27, 2022

There’s some clarity on promising Patriots rookie Tyquan Thornton’s injury status after he suffered a collarbone injury in the Week 2 preseason game against the Panthers.

The wide receiver had surgery on his broken clavicle on Monday, ESPN’s Jeremy Folwer reported Saturday. Following surgery, the recovery time for Thornton “should” be six-to-eight weeks, however, it “could vary depending on healing and re-acclimation to football,” Fowler added.

If Thornton is out for the lower part of that threshold, he would miss the Patriots’ first four games of the season (which are against the Dolphins, Steelers, Ravens, and Packers). A seven-week absence would cause him to miss the Week 5 game against the Lions and an eight-week absence would force Thornton to miss the Week 8 matchup against the Browns.

Prior to the injury, Thornton was one of the pleasant surprises for a Patriots offense that had a relatively lackluster training camp and preseason. The second-round rookie fared well in 1-on-1 drills against veteran Patriots corners while typically making plays with the second-team offense in team drills during practice.

In his first preseason game, Thornton had a touchdown reception and another catch for seven yards in the few drives he played. He was also targeted a couple more times, with Brian Hoyer underthrowing him in one instance in the game against the Giants. He had a catch for 13 yards against the Panthers.

Thornton must be included on the roster when the Patriots cut theirs down to 53 players on Tuesday if they want to keep him eligible to play this season. With Thornton likely missing at least four games, New England can move the receiver to injured reserve after that.

Thornton isn’t the only receiver on the Patriots depth chart to go down with an injury this preseason. Kristian Wilkerson reportedly suffered a concussion during one of the joint practices with the Panthers, keeping him out against the Raiders in the Patriots’ preseason finale on Friday. The injuries to both players could allow one of, if not both, Lil’Jordan Humphrey or Tre Nixon to be on the roster come Week 1 against the Dolphins, which is Sept. 11.