New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are gearing up for their Week 12 contest with the Cincinnati Bengals after enjoying a mini bye week in the wake of their Thursday Night Football win over the New York Jets. Ahead of this game, the front office has engaged in its usual roster tinkering.
On Monday, the Patriots released rookie safety John Saunders Jr. Saunders found his way onto the team’s 53-man roster as a depth option behind the likes of Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson, but he did not end up taking the field for New England.
Given his familiarity with the team’s defense and the need for depth as injuries begin to pile up, it always seemed likely that Saunders would return to the team in some capacity. Sure enough, the team re-signed Saunders to its practice squad on Wednesday morning.
“Patriots sign S John Saunders Jr. to the practice squad,” the team announced in a post on X.
Saunders did not get selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he ended up landing with the Miami Dolphins, and he spent the first two months of the season on their practice squad. New England signed Saunders to its active roster on Oct. 30, but he still has yet to make his official NFL debut.
The Pats will continue working on developing Saunders behind the scenes, and should some snaps open up in the secondary, he’s a candidate to fill them, should he get bumped back up to the active roster. For now, though, he will bide his time on the practice squad and wait for his opportunity to arrive.
