John Saunders Jr.

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John Saunders Jr.
No. 23 – New England Patriots
Position Safety
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2000-10-24) October 24, 2000 (age 25)
High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school High Point Christian
College Miami (OH) (2020–2022)
Ole Miss (2023–2024)
NFL draft 2025: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
  • 2× All-SEC Second team (2023, 2024)

John Saunders Jr. (born October 24, 2000) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami RedHawks and for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Contents

Early life

Saunders Jr. was born in High Point, North Carolina and attended High Point Christian Academy. [1] Coming out of high school he committed to play college football for the Miami RedHawks. [2]

College career

Miami (OH)

From 2020 to 2022, Saunders Jr. attended Miami University. [1]

Ole Miss

In 2023, he transferred to Ole Miss. [3]

He finished the 2024 season, totaling 47 tackles with one and a half being for a loss, five pass deflections, and three interceptions. [4]

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

After not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Saunders signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. [5] He was released during the preseason with the Dolphins, but later signed to the team's practice squad after final roster cuts. [6] [7]

New England Patriots

On October 30, 2025, Saunders was signed off the Dolphins practice squad to the New England Patriots active roster. [8] [9] [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "John Saunders Jr. - Football". Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  2. ↑ Berry, Zach. "Miami (Ohio) CB John Saunders to officially visit Ole Miss". On3.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  3. ↑ Berry, Zach. "Miami (Ohio) cornerback John Saunders commits to Ole Miss". On3.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  4. ↑ Kyed, Doug. "Source: Patriots plan to sign rookie safety away from AFC East rival". Boston Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  5. ↑ Crabbs, Kyle. "One of the Dolphins' AFC East rivals just traded away a highly paid defender but it's actually going to cost Miami a player, too". A to Z Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Comeaux, Jonathan. "Patriots Planning To Sign S John Saunders Jr. Off Dolphins' Practice Squad". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Stites, Adam. "Patriots to poach safety off Dolphins practice squad to replace traded Kyle Dugger". Dolphins Wire. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Cormier, Evan. "Patriots Steal Exciting Rookie Safety From Rival Practice Squad". Heavy Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Alper, Josh. "Patriots to sign S John Saunders off of Dolphins practice squad". NBC Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  10. ↑ "Patriots Trade S Kyle Dugger to Pittsburgh Steelers; Sign S John Saunders Jr. to 53-Man Roster Off Miami Dolphins Practice Squad". Patriots.com. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
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