FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton has noticed a trend regarding the various injuries he’s suffered early in his NFL career.

They come when the 2022 second-round pick is hitting the ground. So, for the second straight offseason, he’s set a goal in place to gain weight before the season. It appears to be going better this spring.

Thornton, who looks noticeably bigger, wouldn’t say where he’s currently at in the bulking process but did disclose his goal weight for the 2024 season.

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“Just where it’s a balance where I’m not too heavy up top. Just gotta have a good balance of a lot of muscle,” Thornton said. “Target goal probably play at 190 the whole season.”

Thornton is listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. He was 183 pounds when he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.

“I’ve been putting in work,” Thornton said. “I feel like I’ve put on muscles in a lot of areas that need to be. So, I’ll just continue to get bigger.”

Thornton suffered a broken clavicle while getting tackled during the preseason of his rookie year and missed time on injured reserve. He hurt his shoulder during joint practices with the Packers last summer while diving for a football.

“I feel like all of my injuries came from me hitting the ground. So, I can bounce back up when I do hit the ground,” Thornton said of his weight gain.

Thornton played 50.1% of offensive snaps as a rookie in 2022 and caught 22 passes on 45 targets for 247 yards with two touchdowns. His snap percentage dropped to 21.3% in 2023, and his production dipped, as well, with 13 catches for 91 yards.