John Saunders Jr.

John Saunders Jr.
No. 35 – Green Bay Packers
PositionSafety
Roster status
Practice squad
Personal information
Born (2001-10-24) October 24, 2001 (age 25)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight
211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High schoolHigh Point Christian
CollegeMiami (OH) (2020–2022)
Ole Miss (2023–2024)
NFL draft2025: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
  • 2× Second-team All-SEC (2023, 2024)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Saunders Jr. (born October 24, 2001) is an American professional football safety for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Saunders played college football for the Miami RedHawks and Ole Miss Rebels. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2025.

Early life

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

College career

Miami (OH)

From 2020 to 2022, Saunders Jr. attended Miami University.

Ole Miss

In 2023, he transferred to Ole Miss.

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

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2+3⁄8 in
(1.89 m)		211 lb
(96 kg)		32+1⁄8 in
(0.82 m)		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		6 ft 5+1⁄2 in
(1.97 m)		4.57 s1.61 s2.69 s4.32 s6.81 s37.0 in
(0.94 m)		10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		14 reps
All values from Pro Day

Miami Dolphins

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

New England Patriots

On October 30, 2025, Saunders was signed off the Dolphins' practice squad to the New England Patriots' active roster. Saunders was released from the Patriots on November 17 and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.

On February 11, 2026, Saunders signed a reserve/futures contract with New England. He was waived on August 30.

New York Jets

On September 15, 2026, Saunders signed with the New York Jets practice squad. On October 1, he was released.

Cleveland Browns

On October 20, 2026, Saunders signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad. On October 27, he was released.

Green Bay Packers

On November 3, 2026, Saunders signed with the Green Bay Packers practice squad.

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. ↑ "John Saunders Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  6. ↑ "John Saunders Jr. RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Comeaux, Jonathan. "Patriots Planning To Sign S John Saunders Jr. Off Dolphins' Practice Squad". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Stites, Adam. "Patriots to poach safety off Dolphins practice squad to replace traded Kyle Dugger". Dolphins Wire. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Cormier, Evan. "Patriots Steal Exciting Rookie Safety From Rival Practice Squad". Heavy Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Alper, Josh. "Patriots to sign S John Saunders off of Dolphins practice squad". NBC Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ "Patriots Make a Series of Transactions". Patriots.com. November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Patriots Sign S John Saunders Jr. to the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Patriots Sign 11 Players to Futures Contracts". Patriots.com. February 10, 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach the 53-Man Roster Limit". Patriots.com. August 30, 2026.
  17. ↑ Vogt, Amanda (September 15, 2026). "Jets Sign CB Jordan Clark to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com.
  18. ↑ Allen, Eric. "Jets Sign OL Kohl Levao to Active Roster; Sign Two Players to Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Browns add three to the practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 20, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Browns sign DE Nadame Tucker to the practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 27, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Packers announce roster moves Nov. 3, 2026". Packers.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.