Thornton was on the field for three of a possible 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 29-25 win over the Bills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
In a game in which he was out-snapped by Kendrick Bourne (56), Demario Douglas (37), DeVante Parker (35) and Jalen Reagor (25), Thornton caught his only target for two yards. While there's a chance that the speedy Thornton could make his mark as a deep threat in the coming weeks, he doesn't have a clear path to a high-volume role in the Patriots' passing attack at this stage.