The New England Patriots' defense stood out in their 13-13 tie against the Colts, finishing the day with four turnovers. One of those turnovers was an interception by second-year safety John Saunders.
Saunders, a 24-year-old Pennsylvania native, spent the 2025 offseason with the Dolphins after going undrafted out of Ole Miss. He's spent time with Miami's practice squad, but the Patriots eventually signed him to their active roster.
After a player is signed from another team's practice squad, they are required to spend three weeks on that team's active roster. After those three weeks, Saunders was released.
He'd finish 2025 with no action for the Patriots, finishing the year on the practice squad. After his release, Mike Vrabel said Saunders should use practice as a chance to do just that: practice.
In a recent article from Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Vrabel said the following regarding the safety's November release: "We just asked him to practice a little better and use practice. We talked about those days where we're letting the show team go and letting them try to really improve throughout the season."
It's safe to say Saunders took those words to heart.
John Saunders' intensity has put him back in the running for a roster spot
Saunders is in a battle for a roster spot with veteran Mike Brown and a pair of undrafted rookies: Peter Manuma and Eric Butler.
While it won't be easy, he can carve out a role for himself on the roster, and a season of exposure to the Patriots' practice intensity may be the deciding factor: "Oh man, it was real motivational for me because I came in here like halfway through the season, and it was just like, I didn't realize how hard the practice up here."
The former Rebel played 27 defensive snaps and 9 special teams snaps on Thursday, recording a tackle along with his interception. During his final season in the SEC, he played 807 snaps on defense, with 33 tackles and a 60.8% completion rate allowed.
He allowed 4 touchdowns and had 3 interceptions, primarily operating as a slot cornerback.
The Patriots roster Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson as starters, with Dell Pettus as the primary backup. Saunders's mentality, paired with the versatility he showed in college, could see him make the roster in a backup capacity, which no doubt would have been a surprise before the preseason began.
Add us as a preferred source on Google