The Kansas City Chiefs finished their preseason schedule on Friday with a home loss to the Chicago Bears. Yet, the projected starters still put on a show in the first half, led by the first-team offense with quarterback Patrick Mahomes under center. One of the most electrifying plays of the game came early in the first quarter when Mahomes threw a deep ball to wideout Tyquan Thornton for a 58-yard catch.
Mahomes goes long to Tyquan Thornton!
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2025
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bVmcODAep8
WR Tyquan Thornton Did Everything He Possibly Could to Make Chiefs Roster
This play further highlighted what has been an excellent training camp and preseason for Thornton. That was the only catch of the game for Thornton, but the 25-year-old wide receiver arguably helped himself more than any other player on the roster over the summer.
When he first signed with the Chiefs in the middle of the 2024 campaign, Thornton was seen as an emergency depth option who would likely never get elevated from the practice squad. And that was the case last season as Thornton didn't make his Chiefs debut after signing in Kansas City on Nov. 19.
Fast forward nine months, and the former New England Patriots WR is on the verge of making the 53-man roster.
Before Friday's preseason finale, Thornton had two catches in three targets and 29 receiving yards. But he was the sixth-highest graded offensive player for the Chiefs with a 75.2 grade on Pro Football Focus. The big play against the Bears likely cemented his status as the WR6 before the roster cutdown deadline of Aug. 26.
The wide receiver room has long been the biggest talking point in Kansas City. Rashee Rice's suspension is looming, but it looks like the Chiefs will have him available to begin the season. Xavier Worthy and Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown are the other projected starters, with rookie Jalen Royals as the other absolute lock to make the roster. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a proven veteran who should be the WR5 to begin the campaign.
Behind that group, however, no one has shone more than Thornton. If the Chiefs bring in six receivers for the season, he should have the leg up over Nikko Remigio, despite the latter's return ability.
Thornton making the roster in Kansas City would be a massive twist in the disappointing career of the former Patriot. The second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Thornton was seen as a disappointing playmaker who failed to live up to the very intriguing athletic and physical tools he possesses.
Hopefully, he will be the last name on the long list of veterans whose careers were revived by Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid.