Additionally, the Patriots defense gets a boost with Kyle Dugger returning.
When quarterback Drake Maye makes his NFL starting debut on Sunday against the Houston Texans, he won’t see two of the team’s highest-drafted wide receivers in the huddle. The New England Patriots have decided to make both Tyquan Thornton and Javon Baker healthy scratches for Week 6.
Baker’s deactivation did not come as a surprise; the fourth-round rookie found himself on the bottom of the receiver depth chart for most of the season. Thornton being ruled out comes as no major surprise either, but it still marks the latest low point in his career.
The 2022 second-round draft pick, after all, entered the regular season as the Patriots’ No. 1 perimeter receiver. However, he failed to produce as desired — he stands at two catches for 27 yards on the year — and as a result saw his play time decrease over the last few games. In his place, Ja’Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte took over as the primary outside targets and will continue playing this role versus Houston.
One also has to wonder what this means for Thornton’s future. He went from starting option to healthy scratch within the last month, and with the trade deadline coming up in early November could find himself off the roster entirely within the next one.
The rest of the Patriots’ inactives look as follows:
Patriots inactives
- WR Javon Baker
- LS Joe Cardona
- DT Eric Johnson
- QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB)
- OL Layden Robinson
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson
- WR Tyquan Thornton
The Patriots entered Sunday with two players already ruled out due to injury. Rhamondre Stevenson (foot) and Joe Cardona (calf) were downgraded on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Joining them on the inactives list are the aforementioned Tyquan Thornton and Javon Baker, as well as Layden Robinson, Joe Milton and Eric Johnson.
Whereas the latter two are both healthy scratches as well, Robinson entered the weekend as questionable because of ankle and wrist issues. That said, he likely would have not started the game even if at full strength; the Patriots seem to prefer Michael Onwenu and Demontrey Jacobs as their guard-tackle pairing on the right side.
As for the Patriots’ nine other questionables, they are good to go. The headliner among that group is safety Kyle Dugger, who returns after a one-week absence due to an ankle injury. He has been given the green light alongside wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (knee) and K.J. Osborn (shoulder), center Nick Leverett (ankle), linebackers Anfernee Jennings (shoulder) and Sione Takitaki (knee), and cornerbacks Marcus Jones (groin), Marco Wilson (groin) and Isaiah Bolden (hamstring).
Texans inactives
- OL Nick Broeker
- CB Kamari Lassiter
- S Jimmie Ward
- ED Rashad Weaver
- WR Robert Woods
The biggest takeaway from the Texans’ inactives list is who is not on it: running back Joe Mixon will play against New England. He was previously labeled questionable with an ankle injury.
Kickoff between the Patriots and Texans at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET. New England is entering the game as 6.5-point home underdogs, according to the latest odds provided by FanDuel.