The Patriots finally ripped off the band-aid on Saturday.
New England reportedly released wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, which admittedly was a move years in the making, but also answered a substantial question about the direction of the franchise.
How serious is this club about developing their young wideouts?
The Patriots appear pretty damn serious, as Thornton’s departure signals that a lack of development won’t be tolerated. It’s nut-cutting time at One Patriot Place, so routine mistakes and an inability to carve out a role aren’t going to be enough for these receivers to hold onto a roster spot — relative youth or not.
New England’s ultimate goal with this group of wide receivers was to figure out which of them would be worth building around. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have more than shown enough to this point in the season, while Ja’Lynn Polk’s status as a rookie second-round pick will be enough for him to stick around.
Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne and Thornton, though? It’s pretty clear how uncertain their job security is.
Thornton’s release might not be the only roster move we see involving that quartet over the coming months.
Osborn’s entire tenure has been odd, with his little display following a Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars being enough to ensure he won’t return for a second season. Bourne was put in a similar situation in Week 10, and though he handled it much more gracefully, having a role in the offense is anything but a sure thing for him moving forward. Baker is protected by his draft status, but he literally isn’t even running the right plays when he’s out there.
The Patriots need all of those guys for the remainder of the season, as one injury would suddenly have them feeling nervous about overall depth, but they haven’t ensured spots moving forward.
New England sent a loud message with the release of Thornton, and the likes of Osborn, Baker and Bourne should heed it if they’d like to stick around.
