The New York Jets released safety John Saunders Jr. from the practice squad on Thursday, ending a brief stay in Florham Park for a defensive back who spent last season and training camp with the New England Patriots, via the NFL transaction wire.
Saunders, an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss in 2025, signed with the Jets’ practice squad on September 15 after clearing waivers from New England at the end of August.
Thursday’s move, noted in the club’s transaction log alongside other roster adjustments, returns him to the open market. Practice-squad deals are short and non-guaranteed, so the release carries little salary-cap cost and does not create a compensatory-pick claim.
The 24-year-old (6-foot-2, about 210 pounds) began his pro career with the Miami Dolphins, who signed him as a rookie free agent on May 9, 2025, then waived him at the end of camp and kept him on their practice squad.
New England poached him on October 30 after trading Kyle Dugger, placing him on the 53-man roster.
He was inactive against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, dressed without playing against the Jets on November 13, and was released four days later before returning to the Patriots’ practice squad. He later signed a reserve/future contract in Foxborough in February.
That path made his 2026 camp one of the quieter surprises in New England. Saunders led the Patriots with five interceptions in training-camp practices, the kind of ball production that usually earns a longer look.
A late trade that brought safety Jaylen Reed from Houston helped push him off the initial roster, and he was waived on August 31. He did not record a regular-season statistic in 2025.
The profile that drew both New England and the Jets was built in college.
After three seasons at Miami (Ohio), Saunders played two years at Ole Miss, finishing with 49 games and 41 starts, 179 tackles, 11 interceptions and 25 passes defensed.
As a senior in 2024, he led the SEC in forced turnovers with seven. Versatility between safety and other defensive-back spots was part of the appeal when the Patriots brought him in for a pre-draft visit.
For the Jets, the release is routine depth management more than a verdict on the player. Saunders never appeared in a game for New York. With the secondary still being sorted through injuries and practice-squad churn, the club can refill the spot without a waiver claim or a guaranteed salary.
Saunders, still early in his career and with almost no accrued seasons, is eligible to sign elsewhere immediately—on another practice squad or, if a team needs a body, the active roster.
His camp interceptions in New England remain the clearest recent evidence that he can find the football when the opportunities are there.
