Travis Kelce Hails Chiefs' Tyquan Thornton As a 'Steal,' Thanks Patriots for WR's Exit

Even though the results weren't pretty throughout, the Kansas City Chiefs earned their first win of the season on Sunday over the New York Giants thanks to a big second half from Tyquan Thornton.

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast (starts at 19:15 mark), Travis Kelce praised the Chiefs' addition of Thornton as a "steal" after he led the team with 71 yards on five catches against the Giants:

"He was a steal. I don't know how he got out of New England, man. But we're appreciative that they let him go. He's a smart football player. Sure hands. On top of that, can run with the best of 'em. A big body. Long arms. And he's a smart football player. Smart football players are gonna f--king thrive in this offense because coach [Andy] Reid's gonna put you in positions to where you get those one-on-one matchups. If you know how to attack it, good things are gonna f--king happen."

Thornton has become the go-to deep threat for Patrick Mahomes in this offense. He nearly had a 34-yard touchdown catch on a second-and-10 play midway through the fourth quarter that was ruled incomplete on replay.

On the very next play, Thornton just outmuscled a Giants cornerback Andru Phillips for a 33-yard gain on what was basically a prayer from Mahomes.

The catch from Thornton set up Kareem Hunt's touchdown run on the next play that gave the Chiefs a 22-9 lead with just over six minutes remaining.

Thornton was a second-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2022 draft. He struggled to catch on in part due to injuries that limited him to 28 games before the Patriots waived him in November 2024.

Kansas City signed Thornton to its practice squad soon after and he received a reserve/futures contract in February. The 25-year-old is tied for the team lead with 171 receiving yards through three games and is tied for second in the NFL with 19.0 yards per reception.

Amid the early struggles for the Chiefs, their offense has been a source of frustration. The first half against the Giants was about as rough as they have ever looked with Mahomes at quarterback.

Thornton's emergence as a reliable deep threat does add some hope for what this receiver room can become over the course of the season. They are going to get Rashee Rice back from suspension after Week 6. Xavier Worthy's return date from a shoulder injury is still unclear, but they will also get him back at some point.

Suddenly, the Chiefs are looking at a situation where they could have three quality receivers on the field at the same time before the end of October. They just have to weather the storm until they get there, especially with two of their next three games against the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions.