The Sanders name carries plenty of weight in football, but Deion Sanders’ sons have found the NFL grind to be anything but easy. While Shedeur Sanders landed with the Cleveland Browns as a fifth-round draft pick, his brother Shilo faced a tougher road after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
The former Colorado safety showed flashes of promise in his preseason debut, making an immediate impact with a big quarterback hit. However, consistency has been an issue, and his performance has dipped since then.
Saturday night’s ejection against the Buffalo Bills only added to the concern, as Shilo struggled to make an impression and is now in serious danger of missing the cut for Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster.
Shilo Sanders Likely To Get Cut From Bucs 53-Man Roster
Thanks to his charismatic personality and giving spirit, Shilo became a fan favorite in Tampa Bay right after his arrival. However, winning over head coach Todd Bowles at the safety position is proving to be a much tougher challenge.
An injury to fellow undrafted rookie safety J.J. Roberts temporarily boosted his chances of sticking around, but Saturday night’s clash against the Bills may have erased that advantage.
Shilo was impressive in his debut in Week 1 against the Titans, securing a hit on Brandon Allen, but that has been the one and only highlight play of the safety’s preseason. He managed a couple of tackles against the Steelers in Week 2 but no sacks, forced fumbles, or passes defended.
Shilo Sanders 💥
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/yZnEBJVPEP
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025
The same was the case on Saturday night against the Bills, as Shilo was limited to just one tackle, no sacks, and no forced fumbles. However, what hurt him more was the unnecessary aggression that resulted in an ejection.
On a routine play, Buffalo tight end Zach Davidson was blocking Sanders downfield. The play wasn’t overly physical, and Davidson played through. Still, Sanders seemed upset at being physically overpowered and took a full swing at Davidson’s helmet, which drew an immediate penalty flag and ejection.
Here is the play that got Shilo Sanders ejected. pic.twitter.com/7LRplnywzo
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 24, 2025
That single moment may have undone whatever little momentum Sanders had built this preseason, as his chances of cracking the 53-man roster were slim to begin with. At this point, the most realistic outcome is a spot on the Buccaneers’ practice squad, rather than a place on the active roster.
Tampa Bay has Antoine Winfield Jr. locked in as the starter at safety, with Tykee Smith and Christian Izien backing him up. That leaves Sanders fighting Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the fourth and final safety spot, a battle he appears unlikely to win given his preseason performances.
