Week 5 is the earliest Tyquan Thornton can return from his collarbone injury. A pair of updates on Tuesday suggest he could be in a good spot to come back this upcoming week.

Thornton is “close” and “getting back to normal” after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 2 of the preseason, 98.5 The Sports Hub and Patriots radio analyst Scott Zolak said on “Zolak and Bertrand” on Tuesday. Thornton had surgery on the collarbone shortly after the injury. It was reported that he would miss six-to-eight weeks. Monday is the six-week mark since he had surgery.

The second-round rookie draft pick was placed on injured reserve shortly after the roster was cut down to 53 players in late August. That ruled him out for the first four weeks of the season. Thornton is eligible to return to the practice field on Wednesday, though. If he is on the field, the Patriots will have three weeks to either activate or place him on IR for the remainder of the season.

Patriots receivers coach Ross Douglas wasn't sure if Thornton would make his return this week. He shared that the rookie has handled himself well though since he's been off the field.

“One thing about Tyquan, ever since he got hurt against Carolina, and he had the collarbone injury, he’s been locked in and dedicated to his rehab process,” Douglas said Tuesday. “He hasn’t been able to do a lot of things physically, but he’s been on top of the mental part of the game.”

Douglas also shared that Thornton's been watching film of other top receivers around the league with Patriots coaches, seeing what he can learn from them and apply it to his game.

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Douglas believes that Thornton's in a good spot to learn, too, as he's in a receiver room with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne.

“Tyquan, he really came into a good situation, because we have so many guys in that room who have played a lot of football and have a lot of years in the league,” Douglas said. “They’ve been successful, they’ve produced a whole lot … so he’s truly fortunate to be developed behind those guys and really and truly learn from them. It’s a very ideal circumstance for him to continue his development as a young player.”

Thornton was one of the standouts on the Patriots during camp and the preseason. He made some notable catches in 1-on-1 drills against fellow Patriot defensive backs in practice and caught three passes, including a touchdown, in two preseason games.

Tyquan Thornton's 4.28 40-yard dash was the fastest among all receiver prospects in the 2022 draft class. With Mac Jones potentially being out for Sunday's Week 5 game against the Lions, Thornton's speed could add another element to the Patriots' offense that might be limited on Sunday.