Shilo Sanders Receives Strong First Impression from Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Coach

Shilo Sanders may not have received nearly the kind of hype leading up to the 2025 NFL draft that his brother Shedeur Sanders received, but he was still an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on throughout the process.

Despite going undrafted, Sanders quickly landed with a team as an undrafted free agent.

Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted to give Sanders a chance to prove himself. He’ll join a team that could use some help at the safety position.

Following the move to sign Sanders, Bowles spoke out about the son of the legendary Deion Sanders. He likes what the young defensive back brings to the field.

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“I think he’s a good football player,” Bowles said. “He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well — he can see the game very well. Giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint. So I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves. I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player and he understands the game very well. So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do and I think he’ll show himself well.”

After things didn’t go as Sanders had hoped during the NFL draft, he made the decision to “fire” his dad as his agent. Instead, he is now working with notable agent Drew Rosenhaus.

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During the 2024 college football season with the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders put together another solid year. He racked up 67 total tackles to go along with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two defended passes.

There is clearly work for Sanders to do in order to become a quality NFL player. Bowles and the Buccaneers think that there is enough talent to work with to at least give him a shot.

Looking ahead to the preseason and training camp, Sanders will have a lot of eyes watching him. Being the son of Deion comes with a lot of pressure, but Sanders is ready to prove that he belongs at the NFL level in Tampa Bay.

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