Today was the final day of the 21-day window for WR Dont'e Thornton to be activated from injured reserve by the Raiders. That would mean that if he weren't activated today, the team would have to place him on season-ending IR. The Raiders officially made the move to activate him, making him available for their Week 8 game against the New York Jets.
Thornton missed all of camp and was placed on injured reserve just prior to the season, which meant he had to be out for at least four weeks. As soon as the four weeks was up, Thornton was deemed healthy enough to return to practice. But, according to head coach Klint Kubiak, due to conditioning issues, they held off on activating him for the past three weeks.
The 6-5, 205-pound receiver carried hopes
of taking a step forward in his second season and being the team's starting X receiver. But his injury put a kink on those hopes.
A fourth round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Thornton was a raw physical talent as a prospect. He caught just 10 passes as a rookie on 30 targets. Amounting to 135 yards, which is not near the numbers they would have wanted for a supposed deep threat.
Thornton will compete for snaps with number one receiver Tre Tucker along with Jalen Nailor, Cody White, and rookie Malik Benson.
In a corresponding move, the Raiders waived DT Jonah Laulu.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders activate WR Dont'e Thornton from injured reserve ahead of Week 8
