Heading into the preseason finale, Shilo Sanders was already a long shot to make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. He hadn’t made much of an impact through camp and was listed as the fourth-string safety going into the preseason.
After a solid debut in the opener against Tennessee where he made his presence felt and delivered a few hard hits, Sanders totaled just two tackles with two misses last week against against the Steelers and was struggling again early against the Bills, committing a missed tackle and a defensive pass interference.
If there was ever a game Sanders needed to deliver, this was it. Instead, his preseason came to a frustrating end in the second quarter when he was ejected for throwing a punch at Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson.
Here is the play that got Shilo Sanders ejected. pic.twitter.com/7LRplnywzo
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 24, 2025
While Davidson may have provoked Sanders by blocking past the whistle, Sanders has to know better in such an important situation and not let the instigation get to him.
It’s the kind of mistake Sanders simply couldn’t afford to make with so much on the line. Rather than making a final push for a roster spot, Sanders will instead spend the rest of the night in the locker room with no chance to recover ground in Tampa Bay’s safety competition.
The ejection capped a disappointing preseason for one of the Bucs’ more intriguing storylines. Any chance at making the 53-man roster is now effectively gone. It’s not impossible, especially given the injuries to the secondary but it’s still a long shot that this situation doesn’t really help with.
His best shot at sticking around will be through the practice squad, where he can continue to develop and hope to prove NFL-ready down the road.
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