Buccaneers Waive Rookie Safety Shilo Sanders After Ejection

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived rookie safety Shilo Sanders on Sunday, according to a league source. This decision came just one day after Sanders was ejected from a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

On Saturday, during the third preseason game, Sanders received a penalty for unnecessary roughness after throwing a punch at Bills tight end Zach Davidson in the second quarter. This altercation followed a blocked play where Sanders found himself tangled with Davidson, leading to the ejection.

Bucs linebacker John Bullock attempted to keep Sanders calm as he was escorted off the field by officials. Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles expressed disappointment, stating, “You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”

This incident was part of a challenging preseason for Sanders, who was competing for one of the final safety positions on the team. He was already flagged for pass interference earlier in the game. The defense allowed an 11-yard touchdown to the Bills one play after Sanders was ejected, leading to a 23-19 loss for the Buccaneers.

Shilo Sanders, a son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had signed with Tampa Bay after going undrafted. In the rankings, he was listed as a third-string safety, battling for a spot with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom.

Sanders recorded four tackles and a quarterback hit during the preseason games. Following his release, his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, expressed hopes that he would be claimed on waivers by another NFL team.

As of now, he remains eligible to be signed by the practice squad if he clears waivers or to join another NFL team. The deadline for teams to finalize their 53-player rosters is Tuesday.