One of the biggest names everyone was keeping an eye on this preseason was Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders.
His journey in Tampa came to a rather sour end this weekend. Sanders was ejected from Saturday's preseason finale after throwing a punch after the whistle at a Buffalo Bills player, and was cut from the roster not long after.
That came after what was an otherwise impressive stint with the Bucs. Sanders was an undrafted free agent who didn't bring any of the baggage most expected someone from his family might, and seemed to fit like a glove. He made an impact at practice, had genuine interactions with fans, and was a perfect fit for the team's culture.
He still might have a place in Tampa if the team gives him a second chance and adds him to the practice squad, but that's assuming he isn't claimed off waivers first. If that happens, one team seems like a pretty obvious landing spot.
Shilo Sanders landing with the Steelers makes a lot of sense
Earlier this offseason, the idea of the Pittsburgh Steelers poaching Sanders away from the Bucs was floated, and it makes just as much sense now as it did then.
The Steelers need some secondary depth and have the sort of infrastructure that could help mature Sanders -- or mask some of his issues. Mike Tomlin has proven over the years that he can work with tricky personalities over the years and it's a skill the team continues to lean into with recent acquisitions.
Pittsburgh added Aaron Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, and Jalen Ramsey this offseason, which is a testament to how well Tomlin has done managing personalities in the locker room. He tends to get the most out of guys despite the baggage they carry and this season will be the truest test yet.
Sanders doesn't nearly have the sort of varying degrees of red flags that those three guys have. For the most part he subverted expectations that he'd come in and start throwing weight around that he didn't have on him, and the only truly boneheaded thing he did was throw that punch on Saturday night.
If that's the worst Sanders brings to the Steelers, that seems like child's play for Tomlin to take care of.
Sanders landing with the Steelers makes a ton of sense, but it's also assuming that the Bucs don't bring him back on the practice squad. He'd had to clear waivers first for that to happen, but it wouldn't be the first time every team in the league passed on bringing him in and Tampa Bay was there to catch him the last time around.
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