The Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiving room is the most competitive it has been in quite some time. With Rashee Rice returning, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has several players to target when looking to pass the football. While some are obvious, one could be sneaky good under-the-radar.
Tyquan Thornton, a former second-round draft pick by the New England Patriots, could be that exact under-the-radar player of attack for the Chiefs in 2025. The Patriots waived him in 2024 and quickly landed in Kansas City as a part of the practice squad. Having not debuted for the Chiefs yet, perhaps 2025 is the year.
Head coach Andy Reid revealed earlier this offseason nothing but positive comments surrounding Thornton, which could be a small intel to how the Chiefs plan on using him moving forward. Having not had a ton of success in his professional career thus far, the stars might align better in Kansas City for Thornton than they did in New England.
“I like Tyquan (Thornton),” Coach Reid said. “I like the way he’s approached things. He’s got the quarterback’s trust, which is a positive thing. You got valuable reps in here. The other guys could see that he’s a talented guy. So, so far, so good. Again, I’d like to see him in a game situation, how he handles it. I would anticipate he would do a nice job. I want to see, see where we’re at with that.”
Through six games last season with the Patriots, Thornton collected 47 receiving yards in four receptions. The Chiefs have a young wide receiving group going into the new season, and seeing as though the league has developed a scouting report on the Patriot version of Thornton, the Chiefs should find any way possible to use him on the professional roster to throw off their opponents.
Thornton’s speed is easily the best part of his game that he has displayed in the NFL so far. His 4.21-second unofficial 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine a few years back made him a very valuable pickup for New England.
During his collegiate years, he has shown he can be a moldable wide receiver. So long as he earns his shot at Chiefs training camp, Thornton could be the secret weapon no one would expect.
