Meet the Newest New England Patriot: John Jiles

The New England Patriots began the week with two open spots on their practice squad. By Tuesday evening, both had been filled. New England signed offensive tackle Jalen McKenzie on Monday. They added wide receiver John Jiles the following day. The team’s 17 practice squad spots are now full.

John Jiles is a native of Wake Forest, N.C., and attended Wake Forest High School. The three-star recruit committed to Marshall University. However, due to academic issues, Jiles’ career began at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. His teammates there included the late Khyree Jackson, a 2024 NFL Draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. After spending two seasons with the Greyhounds and amassing 95 receptions for 1,543 yards and 12 touchdowns, Jiles transferred to Virginia Union.

Jiles played no football in 2020 due to COVID-19 and sat out the 2021 season to focus on academics. The wide receiver returned in 2022 to catch 40 passes for 627 yards and nine touchdowns. He transferred after the season to West Florida.

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Playing for Division 2 West Florida, John Jiles dominated. He finished his lone season as an Argonaut with 66 receptions for 1,255 yards and 16 touchdowns. He earned Division 2 All-American honors for his performance.

NFL Rookie

At 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, Jiles has excellent size for a wide receiver. His 4.57 40-yard dash time, however, was not impressive enough to get him selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. He signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent.  Jiles played in all three preseason games for the Giants. He caught two passes for 41 yards on seven targets, with no drops. This included a highlight play of hurdling a New York Jets defender.

Jumpin' Jiles 😱 pic.twitter.com/wADK71HkKx

— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2024

John Jiles joins Matt Turner as the wide receivers on the New England Patriots practice squad. He replaces Jalen Reagor, who was released last week and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad on Monday.