Honing in on roster spot

Thornton is likely to make the Chiefs' 53-man roster, Jesse Newell of The Athletic reports.

Thornton isn't exactly a roster lock in the way that Rashee Rice (groin), Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown (ankle), JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie fourth-rounder Jalen Royals are, but Newell reports that training camp has clearly demonstrated that Andy Reid envisions a role for Thornton's 4.28 speed. Newell notes that Thornton would be an ideal fit to take over the field-stretching role Kansas City had relied on Justin Watson, now with the Texans, to handle the last three seasons. Thornton will also be a candidate to contribute in the return game, which would boost his odds of securing a depth WR spot on the regular-season roster.