FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that WR Tyquan Thornton was activated to the 53-man roster. The 2022 second-round draft pick was placed on injured reserve on September 1. In addition, the Patriots announced that they have elevated QB Garrett Gilbert and TE Matt Sokol to the active roster from the practice squad.
Gilbert, 31, was signed by New England to the practice squad on Wednesday. He has had two previous stints with New England after spending time on the practice squad in 2014 and in 2021. The Patriots signed Gilbert to the practice squad on Sept. 2, 2021, after he was released by Dallas following training camp. Gilbert was signed by Washington to the 53-man roster from the New England practice squad on Dec. 17, where he started in one game at Philadelphia and finished 20-of-31 for 194 yards. Gilbert signed with Las Vegas on March 30, 2022 and released on May 12.
The 6-foot-4, 221-pounder originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams (214th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Southern Methodist. He has spent time with St. Louis, New England, Detroit, Las Vegas, Carolina, Cleveland, Dallas and Washington during his NFL career. Overall, he has played in eight games with two starts and has completed 43-of-75 for 477 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Sokol, 26, was claimed off waivers and awarded to New England from Detroit on May 11, 2022. The 6-foot-5, 249-pounder originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers out of Michigan State in 2019. He has spent time in training camp and on the practice squad of the Chargers, Lions and Jaguars. In 2020, he was elevated by the Chargers to the 53-man roster for two games. Sokol was released by New England on Aug. 30 and then was signed to the practice squad on Aug. 31.
