7 Patriots players fighting for their jobs after minicamp

Tyquan Thornton

Like the battle that JuJu Smith-Schuster is fighting this offseason, Tyquan Thornton is also looking to win over the Patriots coaches this summer. He's had a rough go the first two years of his career, some of which stemmed from what was deemed a massive reach by Belichick when selecting him in the 2022 draft.

The former head coach's biggest reasons for picking Thornton were his size, speed, and skills at 50/50 balls. There was a clear niche for that on the Patriots roster at the time, and it still exists on the team today, even more so now that DeVante Parker has retired.

Thornton has shown flashes of impressive play, but starting the last two seasons with injuries and then failing to adequately integrate into the offense doesn't bode well for his chances of making the team this year.

So far this spring, he's had a few noteworthy moments on the practice field, but that has become commonplace for the young receiver over the last two years. He will shine early in practices and fall apart as the offseason goes on, which might be the case again this year.

On top of needing to prove himself worthy of a roster spot, he will have even more competition than in years past with Javon Baker and Ja'Lynn Polk in the mix. Given how well they have performed so far, Thornton will need to have a breakout summer to lock down a roster spot.