Patriots' Tyquan Thornton Out 6-8 Weeks After Reported Surgery on Clavicle Injury

The New England Patriots will be without rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton for at least six weeks after he reportedly had surgery to repair a fractured clavicle.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Thornton had the procedure Monday and has a six-to-eight week recovery time, but that "could vary" depending on how it heals and how his body reacclimates to football.

NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported Sunday that Thornton suffered the injury during New England's 20-10 preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 19.

It occurred midway through the second quarter when Thornton caught a pass for 13 yards, but he landed hard on his right shoulder and a Panthers defender came down directly on top of him.

Thornton did stay in immediately after the play but didn't play in the second half. The Patriots eventually ruled him out for the rest of the game in the fourth quarter with what was called a shoulder injury.

Losing Thornton for at least the start of the regular season does take away a key component from New England's offense. The 22-year-old was selected with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He posted the fastest 40 time among all wide receivers at the scouting combine (4.28 seconds) this year.

Speed is something the Patriots have been sorely lacking from their wide receivers for years. Their wideouts did finish a respectable 13th in the NFL in yards after the catch in 2021, but Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor aren't known for running by cornerbacks.

While there likely will be a period of adjustment for Thornton entering the NFL, his speed on the outside would give the Patriots an extra element to take advantage of as they look to get back to the playoffs.

If his recovery is on the short end of the timetable, Thornton could be back before New England's Week 5 game against the Detroit Lions.

The Patriots open the regular season Sept. 11 against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. They made the postseason with a 10-7 record last season, losing to the Buffalo Bills, 47-17, in the AFC Wild Card Round.