The New England Patriots acted quickly to fill one of the two roster spots created in the aftermath of trading Keion White and Kyle Dugger to San Francisco and Pittsburgh, respectively. Their plan is to bring rookie safety John Saunders Jr. aboard by poaching him from the Miami Dolphins practice squad.

Let’s assess what adding Saunders Jr. will mean for the team.

Increased safety depth

The Patriots trading Kyle Dugger and a seventh-round draft pick to the Steelers for a 2026 sixth-round selection did slightly increase the team’s draft portfolio, but it created some additional questions at the safety position. While he had lost his starting spot, Dugger was still the team’s No. 3 safety and played a combined 100% of snaps as an injury replacement for Jaylinn Hawkins in Weeks 6 and 7.

It

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