One of the hottest names all offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been rookie safety Shilo Sanders.
He came to Tampa as an undrafted free agent and has quickly turned into a fan favorite. Whether it's his awesome personality, his genuine interaction with fans, or his play on the field, the arrow is pointing up for Sanders in ways not many could have predicted.
That's what makes the looming decision about his future with the Bucs and whether he makes the final roster cut even more stressful.
If the Bucs ultimately do decide to leave Sanders off the 53-man roster, he might not last long on the practice squad before someone steals him away. One team that makes a lot of sense as a potential landing spot is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Buccaneers might not be able to stash Shilo Sanders on the practice squad
Ryan Pawloski over at Still Curtain organically identified Sanders as a player that makes sense for the Steelers to target if he becomes available.
"Sanders might be the player Mike Tomlin has been searching for. The Steelers' long-time coach has preached about adding versatility to the secondary, and that is exactly what the club did when they acquired Jalen Ramsey," Pawloski wrote. "If Sanders can make an impact this preseason, Pittsburgh’s thin depth at safety could work in his favor."
That's not what Bucs fans want to hear, but it's a reminder of the reality that teams will be interested in Sanders if Tampa Bay doesn't give him a roster spot. Of course, that doesn't mean he should simply be handed a spot that he still needs to earn, but adds even more pressure to an already complicated situation.
Safety is a position of need for the Bucs but it's also one loaded with talent in camp. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith will be starters heading into the season with Jacob Parrish and Christian Izien likely to fill nickel corner roles. That's four roster spots spoken for right out of the gate, and that doesn't include the cornerbacks Tampa Bay will carry as well.
Last season, the Bucs gave 11 roster spots to defensive backs and we can already assume as many as eight are already filled.
- Zyon McCollum, CB
- Jamel Dean, CB
- Benjamin Morrison, CB
- Josh Hayes, CB
- Jacob Parrish, NB
- Chrisian Izien, NB
- Antoine Winfield Jr., S
- Tykee Smith, S
That leaves three spots for what could be five players fighting for a job. If we go a little further and assume Kaevon Merriweather and J.J. Roberts are making the team, that's one roster spot left for Sanders to fight against Bryce Hall, Kindle Vidor, and Tyrek Funderburk.
All along, it's seemed likely that Sanders not making the team would simply mean he sticks around on the practice squad. But if a Steelers writer is already looking at him as a potential fit in Pittsburgh, chances are so are decision-makers there and around the league.
There's still a decent chance he makes the final roster, too. Tampa Bay still has a pair of preseason games left and so far Sanders has done nothing but impress the right people. He has time to showcase his skills and make it either as part of the safety rotation or special teams, but it's starting to seem unlikely that he'll be with the Buccaneers if he's not on the roster heading into Week 1.
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