New England Patriots - NESN.com
A handful of reunions will take place this Sunday when the Patriots visit the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami currently has five former New England players, including recently signed guard Cole Strange, on its active roster. The Dolphins also have former Patriots running back JaMycal Hasty on their practice squad, although we won’t know until Saturday whether he’ll be activated to the gameday roster.
With that in mind, let’s look at the six Patriots-turned-Dolphins who could play on Sunday.
LB Matthew Judon
The biggest name on this list, Judon joined the Dolphins late in the summer following a prolonged free agency. Judon starred for the Patriots from 2021 through 2023, posting 32 combined sacks, including 15.5 in 2022. However, Judon made a stink about his contract before last season and eventually was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, for whom he posted just 5.5 sacks in 17 games.
OL Cole Strange
One of the worst draft busts in Patriots history, Strange went to New England as the 29th overall pick in 2022 and started 17 games at left guard as a rookie. The results were mixed, but Strange showed noticeable improvement the following season before a torn patellar tendon wiped out his final three games and sidelined him for roughly a year.
Strange returned late last season and saw time at guard and center. He worked at both positions this summer but ultimately didn’t do enough to earn a roster spot under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
P Jake Bailey
Bailey was New England’s top punter from 2019 through 2021 and even earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2020. He struggled mightily in 2022, though, and a mysterious late-season suspension ultimately led to an offseason release. Bailey started every game for the Dolphins over the last two seasons.
CB Jack Jones
A fourth-round pick in 2022, Jones showed immense promise as a rookie but, like Bailey, finished the season serving a mysterious and controversial suspension. The following spring, Jones was arrested at Logan Airport on weapons charges that eventually were dropped. He appeared in five games for New England in 2023 but was released after multiple infractions, including missing a curfew.
Jones played the rest of the season and all of the 2024 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 27-year-old signed with the Dolphins last offseason and was one of Miami’s starting cornerbacks in Week 1.
LS Joe Cardona
The Patriots selected Cardona in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and started him at long snapper in each of their next 140 games, including playoffs. After 10 impressive years in New England, Cardona was released in the offseason before signing with the Dolphins.
RB JaMycal Hasty
Hasty joined the Patriots as a waiver claim late in the 2023 season and spent all of 2024 on the active roster, totaling 69 yards on 20 carries along with 10 catches for 59 yards. New England re-signed Hasty early in training camp but released him before roster cutdowns. He eventually joined...
