‘Get you every time’ – Punch-throwing Shilo Sanders feels wrath of head coach after blowing last chance to impress

Shilo Sanders’ blew his chances at making the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ final 53-man roster.

The 25-year-old rookie was ejected from the Bucs’ NFL preseason finale after he thew a punch at Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson.

The pair were involved in some heavy pushing and shoving with Davidson blocking – perhaps overly – the safety.

Sanders wasted little time in retaliating, and both can then be seen pushing each other in the face, before the Bucs safety goes from 0-100 in a flash and takes a wild swipe at his opponent.

It was those actions that caught the attention of the referee who had no choice but to eject him from the game.

Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion, was an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, and had set high expectations for himself, including not only making the final roster for the Bucs, but also setting the goal of earning All-Pro honors on special teams.

Bowles furious with rookie safety

Following his ejection for unnecessary roughness, in his final preseason game and hours before the 53-man roster deadline, he put himself in a tough position.

Less than 24 hours later, confirmed came via ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he was being waived – perhaps not a surprise given Bucs head coach Todd Bowles postgame comments about Sanders’ lack of discipline.

“You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable,” Bowles said following Tampa Bay’s 23-19 loss. “They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”

This isn’t the first time that Sanders has been ejected from a football game, having been ejected for a targeting penalty when the Buffs played against UCLA in 2023 after a hit on running back Carsen Ryan.

Despite a strong preseason debut outing in which he recorded a tackle, a quarterback hit, and zero receptions allowed, Sanders’ second outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a much quieter affair.

There, the rookie cornerback recorded just two tackles after entering the contest in the third quarter, but also missed a pair of tackles as the Bucs lost 17-14 at the hands of the new-look Steelers.

As a result of his moment of madness, Sanders now faces an agonizing wait to find out if his NFL dream will leave on.

All 32 teams needs to trim the roster by Tuesday’s 4pm EST deadline with Antoine Winfield Jr., Christian Izien and Tykee Smith favorites to be the top choices at Sanders’ position.

Sanders reaching the NFL has some additional pressure attached to it as he is attempting to erase a near $11 million of debt that he has.

An NFL contract would sure go a long way in being able to help him achieve this.

But Bowles’ comments after Sanders’ ejection on Saturday are of a vastly different tone than before their preseason opener, where the Tampa Bay coach suggested he had a ‘chance to make it’ on the final 53-man roster.

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“He’s coming along,” Bowles said, via a transcript from the team. “He’s getting the scheme down. He’s made plays like everybody else back there…He’s got a chance to make it.”

Both Sanders brothers at risk of being cut

However, Shilo isn’t the only Sanders brother whose future in the NFL is very much at risk.

His brother, Shedeur, faces the prospect of not making the Cleveland Browns‘ final roster as the 23-year-old rookie is currently listed as the fourth-string quarterback behind veteran starter Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

The Browns also have veteran Tyler Huntley as their newest quarterback addition to the roster, who could yet surpass Sanders on the depth chart.

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While much of the attention has been on Shedeur and his situation in Cleveland where many believe he is being unfairly treated, Coach Prime’s other son Shilo had been quietly going under the radar and impressing his coaches.

Now he faces a wait to see whether he is claimed by one of the other 31 teams as some speculation has linked father Deion’s former team Dallas with a move.

There may still be a chance Shilo sticks with the Bucs, if he goes unclaimed on waiver he could return to the practise squad – not an uncommon spot for undrafted players who have flashed in preseason.

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