One of the most notable moves of the NFL Draft didn't happen until the weekend was almost over. Following a strong showing during the event, the Tampa Buccaneers added Colorado safety Shilo Sanders as an undrafted free agent.
It's one of the biggest moves of the weekend, less so for its roster impact -- although still potentially significant -- and more because of his name. Shilo is son of NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, who had a classy-gesture for the Bucs after they made their post-draft move.
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht shed some light on the moment, telling WDAE in Tampa that Deion called head coach Todd Bowles after the Shilo signing was made official. It wasn't what you're probably thinking -- Deion lobbying for his son to start next to or over Antoine Winfield Jr. -- rather it was a heartfelt message of thanks.
"Coach Prime called [Bowles] Saturday night and thanked him for giving [Shilo] a fair shot," Licht said Monday on 95.3 WDAE, Tampa Bay's sports radio station.
That's not the Deion Sanders experience anyone is expecting after what happened to his family over the course of the weekend, but it's useful insight into Shilo's journey with the Bucs.
Deion Sanders said all the right things to give Shilo Sanders a fair shot at making the Bucs roster
One of the many reasons being floated for why Shedeur Sanders crashed out during the draft, not getting picked until the fifth-round, was the presence of Deion. Whether valid or not, the fear was that a team taking Shedeur would have to deal with comments from his father each week about how his son should be starting over whoever had the job.
It's not hard to unspool those fears and tie up Shilo's future in them as well, but this gesture seems to combat all of that anxiety. We'll see if Deion can stay in his lane, but at least initially this goes a long way in shooting down the notion that he'll meddle too much in what the Buccaneers want to do with Shilo.
That's probably the right move, because Shilo Sanders has a decent shot of making the final 53-man roster. At the very least he's a prime candidate for the practice squad, and if he puts together a great training camp could make the team as part of a thin safety room.
Sanders is a talented player, something Todd Bowles mentioned at length when discussing the decision to sign him. Whether or not that translates in the NFL is yet to be seen, but the Bucs have first-dibs and a front-row seat, and all early indications about how this will go continue to be more positive than anything else.
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