The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived Shilo Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, after his preseason ejection against the Buffalo Bills.
His agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey confirmed the decision to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday. They added that they hope another team claims him on waivers before Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline. The timing reflects the cutdown period across the league as rosters are trimmed to 53 players.
Preseason incident leads to release
Sanders’ dismissal came after a heated clash during Tampa Bay’s 23-19 defeat to Buffalo. In the second quarter, he threw a punch at tight end Zach Davidson after heavy blocking.
The strike made contact with Davidson’s helmet and drew an immediate ejection. Linebacker John Bullock tried to pull Sanders away, while head coach Todd Bowles looked on.
Bowles criticised the behaviour after the game. “You can’t throw punches in this league, that’s inexcusable,” he said. “They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”
Earlier in the contest officials flagged Sanders for pass interference, adding to an already costly evening. He was competing with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the final safety spot on the depth chart.
A summer of highs and lows
Sanders signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado. He agreed to a three-year, $2.9 million contract and hoped to provide depth behind Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith and Christian Izien.
There were encouraging signs in his debut. Against the Tennessee Titans he made a strong tackle and later joked that he tried to give his game-worn jersey to his father.
Deion declined, with Shilo laughing that his dad “expects like 30 times more.” Instead, he gave the jersey to his mom Pilar, sharing the moment on Instagram.
Those lighthearted scenes are now overshadowed by a serious setback. Sanders’ release ends his Tampa Bay stint before the regular season even begins. Whether another team claims him will determine if his rookie year continues or stalls.
For now, the 25-year-old’s NFL journey hangs in the balance as Shilo must wait to see if a fresh opportunity arrives.
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