October 7, 2026 - 5:32 pm

Dont’e Thornton Jr. bounced up and down the football field Wednesday as the Las Vegas Raiders prepared to practice. The wide receiver hadn’t practiced since early in training camp, but based on his swagger and the pep in his step, his hamstring isn’t hurting anymore.

“It’s been great for me sure, having time to get my body together,” Thornton said in the locker room an hour or so before practice began. “Really just focus in, learn more of the offense and just get myself ready to be able to come back and play.”

The Raiders opened the practice window Wednesday afternoon for Thornton, mired this season on injured reserve, as he works his way back from his hamstring pain. Thornton missed the first four games of his second season and should reinforce a receiving corps that’s ailing amid a 3-1 start.

Fellow second-year wideout Jack Bech is on injured reserve with a broken forearm sustained Week 3 during a 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints. Wideout Jalen Nailor didn’t practice Wednesday amid the concussion sustained Week 4 during a 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Thornton did and he’s glad to be back.

“I’m overly confident in (my hamstring),” said Thornton, for whom the Raiders have 21 days to activate from injured reserve. “When I put my mind to something, I can truly do it. Whether that’s me working out, practicing, playing. Whatever it is, if I put my mind to it and really lock in, I can do it.”

A fourth-round draft pick in 2025 with 135 receiving yards his rookie season poised to compete for playing time this year in coach Klint Kubiak’s receiver rotation, Thornton never got untracked during training camp when his health was intact — hurting his hamstring early and trying to play through it.

To no avail.

“Then it got to a point where I had to stop,” Thornton said, standing 6-foot-5, weighing 205 and covering 40 yards in 4.3 seconds. “It’s just a part of the game, really. Everyone wants to be out on the field no matter how you’re feeling. So, I was just trying to do the best I could to help the team while I could be out there until I couldn’t.”

The Raiders are 12th in passing offense despite limited output from wide receivers with tight ends playing feature roles. Tight end Michael Mayer has a team-high 20 catches (with 169 receiving yards) while tight end Brock Bowers averages a team-high 101 yards per game — serving as the de facto top receiver and lining up in spots to best manipulate matchups — with running back Ashton Jeanty ranking second in catches (19) and fourth in yards (165 yards).

Among healthy receivers representing Las Vegas, wideout Tre Tucker has a team-high 233 receiving yards. The trio beside him — Cody White, Dareke Young and Malik Benson — has 106 yards on eight catches combined. Said Kubiak on Wednesday morning, asked what he needs from his wide receivers: “They’re doing great. I just got to give them opportunities. They’re doing a great job. (Giving them more opportunities means) finding more targets for them.”

Perhaps there will be more targets for Thornton whenever he’s active from injured reserve.

“It’s been a while,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said of throwing to Thornton. “It would be good to get him back out there and get him playing and reacclimating. But he’s a great teammate. He’s a great person. He’s worked really hard. He stayed patient, had a great attitude and is the kind of guy you really pull for.”

Right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson practiced on a limited basis after sitting out the loss to Kansas City with an injured groin sustained against the Saints.

Bowers, left guard Spencer Burford and backup guard Trey Zuhn III were limited with knee injuries. White was limited with an ankle injury.

Defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi was limited with a shoulder injury.

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.