Shilo Sanders' preseason ended in a way you never want to see from a rookie fighting for a roster spot.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety was ejected from their preseason finale against Buffalo on Saturday for slapping at Bills tight end Zach Davidson at the end of a play. The pair got into it after Davidson blocked Sanders through the end of the play, with Sanders going for a swipe at Davidson's helmet while an official stood right by him.
The son of Deion Sanders and older brother of Shedeur Sanders was quickly hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty and disqualified from the game. The 6-foot-7, 251-pound Davidson celebrated by hitting the 6-foot Sanders with the "too small" gesture as he argued with the official.
Another angle of the incident showed Davidson had his fingers inside Sanders' facemask as they tussled.
The incident won't help Sanders in his quest to make the Buccaneers, as he entered the game listed as a third-stringer on the Bucs' unofficial depth chart. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles stressed how important Saturday would be for his chances before the game:
"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% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up," Bowles said.
Sanders went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft after two years at Colorado playing for his father. He was previously second-team All-SWAC during his family's time with Jackson State.
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The 25-year-old is in a unique position this preseason, as he's working for an NFL roster spot amid an $11 million judgement and a personal bankruptcy case. Sanders filed for bankruptcy in 2023 in an attempt to erase a debt he owes to a former security guard he was accused of attacking in high school, who took him to court and won via a default judgement. It remains to be seen whether he will be forced to pay out that eight-figure sum.
Both Sanders and his brother Shedeur, a fifth-round draft pick on the Cleveland Browns, have been drawing attention this preseason, with Shedeur part of a crowded quarterbacks room in Cleveland. Shedeur's first preseason game went well, but he struggled in a game earlier Saturday that could leave him as the fourth QB on the depth chart, behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Their father Deion praised their ability to overcome adversity earlier this week, via Bleacher Report:
"My deal with my kids is that they don't have to be THE best but they have to give THEIR BEST," the Colorado head coach told Bleacher Report. "They've always been very mature, and they're very understanding of the times and what they're up against. I'm truly excited to see them overcome all the adversity and for them to shine."
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