Young Patriots DB Believes He's Done Enough to Make Week 1 Roster

Not much in life is given. But throughout training camp this summer for the New England Patriots, it felt given that on any practice, John Saunders Jr. was going to intercept a pass.

The second-year safety out of Ole Miss has put together an impressive stretch of practices for the Patriots and has squarely put himself into the conversation for making this year's 53-man roster. His five interceptions are the most by any Patriots defensive back in training camp, and it's something that's caught the attention of everyone around.

"He's been balling out of control," safety Kevin Byard said this week. "He's a ball hawk."

Coming from the NFL's leader in interceptions from a year ago, that's some serious praise.

Speaking to reporters after the Patriots' final training camp practice Tuesday, Saunders broke down his impressive summer -- and why he feels like he could end up making the roster this weekend.

"I feel pretty good," the 24-year-old said. "Everything's in God's hands, so I don't really or stress that much, and I know all things working in my favor."

Saunders is in a safety room that's pretty deep in terms of bodies. Right now, he's competing with Byard, Craig Woodson, Mike Brown, Dell Pettus, Eric Butler, Jaylen Reed, Peter Manuma and Brenden Schooler (NFI) for a spot on the team. It's looking like Byard, Woodson and Reed are locks, so there's really only a few spots (if any) left for the rest of the group.

Saunders Has Been Total Suprise This Summer

While Saunders has played in both preseason games, he's looked good in both of them. Out of his five interceptions, his lone one in came action game against the Colts' Riley Leonard in the third quarter of what turned into a 13-13 tie. He's gotten chances to practice with the top defensive unit, and has looked better than veteran Mike Brown to this point in camp.

New England Patriots safety John Saunders Jr. speaks to the media after the team's final training camp practice of the summer. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

Why? A lot of it stems from his growth on how he practices.

"John showed up, and we just asked him to practice a little better and use practice," head coach Mike Vrabel said on Aug. 15. "We talked about those days where we're letting the show team go and letting them try to really improve throughout the season. When John was back, we just said, 'Hey, you have to practice better. You have to have better practice habits. That's the only place you're going to get your reps.'

"And it got to the point where we had to dial him back where he was blitzing or tackling, and I was like, 'This is great.' And I think he used those examples in practice to improve, and mentally he's kept working, and it's been great to see him show up and get into that competition."

What Led To Saunders' Practice Habits:

When asked about Vrabel's comments, Saunders -- who said he watches a lot of Sean Taylor and Charles Tillman film -- broke down how all that happened.

"When I got here last year, I was here for a few weeks and Mike was like, he wanted me to practice harder," Saunders said. "Once he told me to practice harder, then I started going really hard. And then he was like 'Alright, reel it back a little bit.' So it was just my response to what his coaching (was)."

Saunders says he's found the balance between practicing hard, but not hard enough. It's shown, as he's now right up on the bubble with a chance to stick around. Even if he doesn't make it onto the Patriots' initial 53-man roster, he's done more than enough to hang around on the practice squad (what he did in 2025) to earn a role later on.

"In practice, it's about taking care of the team," he said. "So that's something I really had to learn, like practicing like a pro."

If he can put together another game where he plays like a pro, Saunders might have just picked off a roster spot.

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