The New England Patriots have waived wide receiver Tyquan Thornton after three seasons with the team, the team announced on Saturday. Thornton was part of a logjam at wide receiver in New England, having just four catches for 47 yards in six games this season.
In a corresponding move, the Patriots activated defensive tackle Christian Barmore from the non-football illness list. This places Barmore on the active roster and makes him eligible to play on Sunday.
A second-round pick in the 2022 draft, Thornton's speed never translated into the NFL after he ran a 4.28 at the combine. He had just 39 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns in his three seasons with the Patriots, averaging 9.9 yards per catch.
The Patriots had seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster, so one was expendable. Waiving Thornton freed up a roster spot for Barmore -- who returned to practice this week after being diagnosed with blood clots this summer.
Thornton was inactive for four of the last five games, falling down the depth chart as rookie wideout Ja'Lynn Polk and second-year pro Kayshon Boutte emerged. Boutte has 17 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown this season while Polk has 11 catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns in six starts.