Thornton was on the field for nine snaps on offense in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles.
Thornton didn't see any targets in his limited action versus Philadelphia, but he did line up with the starting offense for the second straight exhibition contest. He has a chance to parlay his speed into a role in a Patriots' wideout corps that could be without Kendrick Bourne (knee) early on, competing for snaps with DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor.