When they traded away defensive lineman Keion White and safety Kyle Dugger on Tuesday afternoon, the New England Patriots created two openings on their active roster. One of those is about to be filled by a player from the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad.
As first reported by Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots are planning to sign rookie safety John Saunders Jr. to their 53-man roster.
Saunders Jr. started his college career at Miami (OH), seeing action in 23 games over three seasons as a Redhawk and
registering a combined five interceptions. He transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season and in two years with the Rebels added 26 more in-game appearances as well as six interceptions and three forced fumbles to his résumé.
Despite a mix of experience, production and positional versatility, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound defensive back did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, he joined the Dolphins as a rookie free agent shortly thereafter and went on to spend the entire summer with the team. Along the way, Saunders Jr. appeared in three preseason games and registered six tackles as well as an interception.
He did not make Miami’s 53-man roster out of training camp, but was part of the club’s initial practice squad. After eight weeks on the developmental roster without any game day elevations, he will now make the move to New England.
Once the signing will be made official, the Patriots will be left with one open spot on their roster.
