Thornton (undisclosed) isn't slated to play in Friday's preseason contest at Tennessee, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Thornton hasn't practiced since Aug. 17, when he suffered an undisclosed injury that will sideline him for the Patriots' final two exhibitions. With Thornton sidelined, the team's potentially available wide receivers Friday are JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, among others. Thornton's next opportunity for game action is a Week 1 matchup with the Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 10.