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Tampa Bay Buccaneers - English
Todd Bowles - English
Buccaneers rookie safety Shilo Sanders‘ pursuit of an NFL roster spot took an unexpected turn during the team’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.
What was meant to be his final audition ended in a bench-clearing moment when Sanders threw a punch and drew an ejection, putting his future with Tampa Bay in serious jeopardy.
As the clock ticked through the second quarter of the game, tension flared during a routine Bills drive. In the aftermath of a block by Buffalo tight end Zach Davidson, Sanders reacted with a punch that instantly drew the flag, and the referee’s decision to eject him from the contest.
For a rookie undrafted free agent fighting for a place on the 53-man roster, such a moment can shift from fight to setback in the blink of an eye.
His abrupt exit may carry larger consequences. Rosters were set to shrink from 90 to 53 players this week, and Sanders was slotted as a third-string safety on Tampa Bay‘s unofficial depth chart.
After that ejection, the question becomes not just about whether he remains, but whether he can re-earn trust and composure in the eyes of coaches evaluating his demeanor under pressure.
Preseason roller-coaster: from promise to peril inside one week
Head coach Todd Bowles had once praised Sanders for embracing the opportunity and showing promise in his first outing.
After a standout preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans, Bowles said, “I thought he went in and did a heck of a job… He had some good tackles inside and he had a pressure on the quarterback, as well. He did some good coverage things. He did a good job when he was in there.”
That praise painted Sanders as a tough, instinctive player worthy of attention.
Yet his follow-up game against the Pittsburgh Steelers painted a different picture. Analysts noted missteps in coverage and missed tackles. One blunt assessment offered that Sanders “fell flat on his face” during that second outing.
In response, Bowles remained measured, commenting that “Shilo’s very aggressive, very young, very hungry. He can make plays in the box, and we know he can run down and give us 100 percent on special teams. This last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up.”
Ejection adds layer: Discipline now as important as skill
At this critical crossroads for Sanders, talent alone may not be enough. Coaches look not only at what players do, but also how they do it.
Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, carries a legacy that brings both opportunity and heightened scrutiny.
His path has involved overcoming hurdles, from going undrafted and not receiving a Combine invite to having to prove himself through verified workouts.
This news was originally published on this post .
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