Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 205 lbs |
| Birthplace: Baltimore, MD |
| Age: 23 |
| School: Tennessee |
| Experience: 2 |
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8:21Biggest Questions After Camp: AFC West
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1:42Malik Benson Emerging as Legit WR Option
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1:39Highlights: Dylan Sampson, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and James Pearce Jr. at Tennessee's Pro Day
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1:34Dont'e Thornton Jr. reveals his favorite NFL Combine meeting and the pro wide receiver he resembles most
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1:06Tennessee WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. details mindset change that led to his big-play success in 2024
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1:25Bills Defense Under the Microscope
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1:59NFL Week 6: Bills Hold Off Raiders in Vegas Thriller
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1:23
NFL Week 6 Highlights: Bills at Raiders
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1:56Evaluating the Raiders After Week 6 Loss to Bills
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0:58JJ Watt Reacts to C.J. Gardner-Johnson's Ejection for Spitting
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12:57REACTION: Bills Hold Off Raiders, Improve to 5-1 | HQ NFL
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1:32Bills Hold Off Raiders: Can They Maintain Their Momentum?
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0:40Tre Tucker Makes Diving Touchdown Catch for Raiders
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0:37Josh Allen's Incredible TD Pass to Keon Coleman
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0:29Khalil Shakir Scores Touchdown vs. Raiders
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0:33Ashton Jeanty Powers In for Raiders Touchdown
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1:43Drake Maye Leads Patriots to 26-19 Win Over Jets
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5:43Bijan Robinson vs. Jahmyr Gibbs: Who Has the Edge?
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1:58Kenneth Walker III's Historic Start With the Chiefs
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1:31Raiders Coming Back to Earth After 3-0 Start
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Top Dont'e Thornton Jr. News
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Not activated this week
Thornton (hamstring) won't be activated from injured reserve for Sunday's game against the Bills, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton has been a full practice participant for two weeks, and he can practice for one more week before the Raiders have to make a decision on activating him from IR or leaving him there for the rest of the year. He'll likely be activated, but it isn't clear there's a role for him in the offense.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Full practice Wednesday
Thornton (hamstring) was a full participant at the Raiders' practice Wednesday.
Thornton has spent the entirety of the regular season on injured reserve while recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered in early August. The wide receiver returned to practice last week, logging three full practices, but he ultimately did not play in the team's 45-17 loss to the Patriots in Week 5. Thornton will look to prove his health and be activated from injured reserve prior to Sunday's matchup with Buffalo.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Won't return for Week 5
Thornton (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots, Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com reports.
Thornton was a full participant in all three Week 5 prep practices but will not be activated from IR for Sunday's contest. The wide receiver was designated to return to practice Wednesday and the Raiders likely deemed the 23-year-old to not be adjusted to NFL physicality enough to return to the field the same week.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: No limits at practice Wednesday
Thornton (hamstring) was a full participant at practice Wednesday, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.
The Raiders designated Thornton for return to practice from their injured reserve list Wednesday, and it appears he may be close to being officially activated. The fact that free-agent acquisitions Jalen Nailor (concussion) and Cody White (ankle) are tending to injuries could give Las Vegas additional incentive to get Thornton ready for game action sooner than later.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Practice window opened
The Raiders designated Thornton (undisclosed) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton was injured over the summer and missed the first four games of the 2026 regular season. It's unclear what kind of role he'll have under the new coaching staff in Las Vegas. The Raiders have been relying on Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor (concussion) and Cody White at wideout of late while funneling their passing game through Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Could return to practice ahead of Week 5
Head coach Klint Kubiak said Friday that the hope is that Thornton (undisclosed) will be back at practice for practice ahead of the Raiders' Week 5 road tilt against the Patriots, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
Thornton opened the season on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury that prevented him from participating in the majority of August practices during training camp. Once he's cleared to return, Thornton will likely operate in a depth role at wide receiver behind Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Cody White.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Sent to injured reserve
The Raiders placed Thornton (undisclosed) on injured reserve Monday.
It's still unclear what is bothering Thornton, but he'll now be required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season. The 2025 fourth-rounder corralled just 10 of 30 targets for 135 scoreless yards across 15 regular-season appearances as a rookie last season and missed the entire preseason this summer. Under a new coaching staff, it's unclear what kind of role Thornton will have this season once healthy.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Still not practicing
Thornton (undisclosed) didn't practice Monday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Per Levi Damien of USA Today, Thornton has been missing from practice for the past of couple weeks and has yet to play this preseason. When he's able to return,Thornton will look to reestablish his slotting in a Raiders WR corps that also includes Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and Malik Benson.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Misses reps
Thornton (undisclosed) did not participate in Sunday's practice, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton was present at the Raiders' facility doing work off to the side out of pads. The wide receiver missed Thursday's preseason opener against the Cardinals and will continue to miss valuable reps as he recovers from a minor issue. The missed reps allow Malik Benson and Jack Bech to extend their lead in the competition for the No. 3 receiver spot, with Benson in particular pulling ahead as he continues to see reps with the first-team offense.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Set to return during preseason
Thornton (undisclosed) did not play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Cardinals.
The wide receiver exited last Friday's practice with an injury. Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reported that Thornton is expected to return to the field at some point during the preseason, but there is no specific week targeted. The Raiders' receiving room is currently wide open, and the more time the 23-year-old misses, the harder it will be to take one of the top slots.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Still dealing with injury
Thornton (undisclosed) did not participate at the Raiders' training camp practice Tuesday, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.
Thornton left practice early last week Friday after presumably suffering some type of injury, and he still hasn't been able to make his way back onto the practice field. If he can't play in Thursday's preseason contest versus the Cardinals, it could open up more opportunities for rookie sixth-rounder Malik Benson and offseason free-agent acquisition Dareke Young.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Leaves Friday's practice early
Thornton (undisclosed) exited Friday's practice early, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.
Thornton, who is coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 10 passes for 135 yards on 30 targets over 15 games, is competing with Jack Bech and Malik Benson for slotting in a Las Vegas WR corps that's led by Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. Any missed time won't help his cause, but in any case the team's No. 3 option at the position may not see heavy volume in 2026, with two-TE sets featuring Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer likely to be used frequently this season.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Ends rookie season with 10 catches
Thornton finished his rookie campaign with 10 total receptions for 135 yards on 30 targets over 15 games.
Thornton was expected to be more of a developmental project when the Raiders selected him 108th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, but a 10-135-0 receiving line for the 6-foot-5, 205-pound burner was still a major disappointment considering the underwhelming target competition in Las Vegas. That being said, Thornton could compete for a starting WR role on the outside across from Tre Tucker in 2026 if the new regime doesn't address the position in the offseason, though tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is set to remain a focal point in the passing game as well. Nonetheless, fellow rookie receiver Jack Bech was a slightly more productive option than Thornton down the stretch.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Four targets in blowout loss
Thornton caught two of four targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Giants.
Thornton filled the WR2 role behind Tre Tucker with fellow rookie Jack Bech (back) sidelined for Sunday's contest, but Thornton averaged just 3.0 yards per target while playing 78 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps. If Bech manages to return for a Week 18 matchup against the Chiefs, Thornton's involvement could diminish.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Logs four snaps in defeat
Thornton was not targeted in Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Texans.
Thornton played just four offensive snaps in the Raiders' ninth consecutive defeat, while fellow rookie receiver Jack Bech caught two of three targets for 43 yards in the WR2 role behind Tre Tucker. Thornton has not caught a pass since Week 13, and he's even ceded playing time to punt returner Alex Bachman.
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Raiders' Dont'e Thornton: Not targeted against Philadelphia
Thornton failed to record a single target in Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Eagles.
Thornton played just eight of the Raiders' 42 offensive snaps, behind fellow wide receivers Tre Tucker (39), Jack Bech (34) and Tyler Lockett (32). The rookie wideout has had an underwhelming start to his career, recording just eight receptions on 25 targets for 123 yards in 12 appearances. Thornton should continue to develop, but it appears the Raiders are unlikely to expand his role in the final stretch of the season. The Tennessee product remains far off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 16 matchup against the Texans.
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