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Raiders' latest move means former Tennessee Vols WR Dont'e Thornton may have to wait to make a big impact in the NFL

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 6:21 PM ET

Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton had a terrific preseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, earning plenty of praise from coaches and teammates.

Thornton, who was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, was praised by Raiders head coach Pete Carroll during training camp for his ability to make tough catches over the middle, as well as the mindset he's displayed as a rookie.

“Dont’e continues to do stuff,” said Carroll in late July. “He’s making plays, he got deep yesterday — you guys saw that one. It was a huge play by Geno (Smith) to find him late down in the corner. And he came through and made the catch. He’s made tough catches over the middle. He’s caught the slant routes where he’s getting banged around. And he’s comfortable with it.

“I just stopped him after practice just to look him in the eye and just tried to get a feeling of, you know, is it seeming too big for him. He’s right in it. So we’re really excited about his chance to help us.”

“Dont'e continues to do stuff…He's made tough catches over the middle. He's caught the slant routes where he's getting banged around. And he's comfortable with it.” - Raiders head coach Pete Carroll on former Tennessee WR Dont’e Thornton pic.twitter.com/ACEt6BdMcj
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) July 30, 2025

While Thornton's had a great preseason, it doesn't mean you need to scramble to add him to your fantasy football team. Thornton may end up being a big play machine for the Raiders, but he likely won't see as many opportunities early in the season as fans were expecting due to the recent addition of free agent wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Las Vegas roster.

Cooper, a former Alabama standout, is expected to play the same X wide receiver position as Thornton.

“And so, for Dont’e on the outside, they’ll be doing a lot of the same stuff," said Carroll this week of the addition of Cooper. "I think Amari’s way can affect him and help him come along. There’s a lot of pressure for him to be the only X over there that we’re kind of going with, so I think this really balances us out well. And I hope it really suits Jack [Bech] and Dont’e.”

Cooper has been in the NFL since 2015 (he was originally drafted by the Raiders, where he spent the first 3.5 years of his career before getting traded to the Dallas Cowboys). The addition of Cooper will undoubtedly help Thornton's development -- there's plenty for the former Vol to learn from the veteran wide receiver.

But it will also cut into Thornton's playing time.

We'll see in Week One just how much the addition of Cooper impacts Thornton's role. If you own Thornton in a fantasy football league, I would probably wait until after Week One to consider starting him -- just so you can see what kind of role he has in the Raiders' offense.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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