Shilo Sanders is fighting to pave his own path in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed the rookie safety after the 2025 NFL Draft, during which time he was a background story within his family.
After appearing in three preseason games for the Buccaneers, Sanders was waived ahead of roster cutdown day.
Shilo Sanders’ Ejection in Last Preseason Game Led to Him Getting Waived
In the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Sanders was ejected for throwing a punch at tight end Zach Davidson. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was quite upset with the rookie’s behaviour and talked about it after the game.
In less than 24 hours, rookie safety Shilo Sanders got ejected from a game and then waived from the Buccaneers. pic.twitter.com/HcyUk5uv9e
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2025
 “You can’t throw punches in this league,” Bowles said. “That was inexcusable. They’re gonna get you every time.”
Sanders entered the NFL after a six-year college career that saw him play for three different schools. He played 13 games over two seasons at South Carolina before joining his father and brother at Jackson State in 2021.
He totaled 59 tackles, eight pass breakups, and five interceptions in two seasons as a Tiger before following his family to Colorado. Sanders played 19 total games over his final two college seasons, posting 125 tackles, four pass breakups, one sack, and one interception for the Buffaloes.
He was not invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and went undrafted after his brother fell to the fifth round. In the three preseason games for the Buccaneers, Sanders recorded just four tackles, which proved to be not enough to get a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
As Sanders is now a free agent, here are a few teams that could be interested in signing him:
Best Landing Spots for Sanders
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland selected Sanders’ brother, Shedeur Sanders, in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shedeur has acquitted himself well during training camp and his one start in the preseason, but would the Browns want to bring in another member of the Sanders family?
The team’s safety room is anchored by Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman, who was an undrafted free agent in 2023. Hickman is one of the projected starters, and that story should give Shilo motivation to work hard wherever he lands.
Denver Broncos
Denver’s defense was one of the league’s best in 2024, and it got better over the offseason. The Broncos added safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, and Patrick Surtain II already leads the secondary.
Shilo landing in Denver would make sense given his familiarity with the area. Folsom Field, Colorado’s home stadium, is a short drive to Empower Field at Mile High, the Broncos’ stadium. Shilo would be close to his father and would greatly benefit from being in one of the NFL’s best defensive systems.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints added Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon to be their starting safeties in 2025. While both are solid players, New Orleans isn’t expected to do much this season.
This could be Shilo’s best chance at cracking a game day roster, especially if he develops into a special teams demon.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have caught a lot of bad headlines during the preseason with how they’ve handled Micah Parsons’ contract situation. The Dallas defense needs a major bounce back after taking a huge step backwards last season, but Shilo might not be able to fix things on his own.
Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are the starting safety duo in Dallas, and the team added two undrafted free agents this spring. Shilo would have his work cut out for him to make the game day roster, but don’t put it past Jerry Jones to reach for some nostalgia by adding Shilo.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Practice Squad)
Returning to Tampa Bay’s practice squad could be the most logical destination for Shilo if he’s shown the coaching staff and front office enough this preseason. Despite the punch in the last preseason game, he knows the system and the facility and could be an emergency elevation if someone in the secondary suffers an injury.
This seems like the most likely outcome for Shilo, especially since he was earlier listed as fourth on the team’s official depth chart.
