Recently, while streaming live on Twitch, Sanders was asked by a fan in his chat, “Who is the toughest receiver you practiced against with the Bucs so far?”
The former Colorado Buffaloes star responded hilariously, and with a rather obvious answer.
“Bro, y’all know Mike Evans over there, right? Y’all know we practice against Mike Evans every day?” asked Sanders.
Sanders’ publicly giving one of the team’s core veterans his respect will go over well in the locker room. And going against a seasoned veteran like Evans in practice will help Sanders as he works to improve his game and fights to earn his spot on an NFL roster after going undrafted
They say iron sharpens iron, and Evans is a future Hall of Famer with an NFL-record 11 consecutive 1,000 seasons to begin his career. He’s earned six Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections, as well as a Super Bowl championship.
Sanders also had kind words for quarterback Baker Mayfield, joking about how difficult it is to force Mayfield into a turnover.
“Baker will not throw me that ball gang. He will not throw me that ball,” said Sanders. “He is a good quarterback.”
Will Shilo Sanders make the Buccaneers’ final roster?
Out of all the Buccaneers’ undrafted free agent signings, Sanders appears to have one of the clearest paths to a roster spot.
The safety position is arguably the team’s thinnest on the depth chart, and Sanders is presumably battling Kaevon Merriweather and Marcus Banks for the backup strong safety spot behind Tykee Smith. If his strong first offseason continues, Sanders has a real shot to beat out his competition for the No. 2 strong safety job. To make the team as an undrafted free agent and backup safety, Sanders will also have to prove he can be a strong contributor on special teams in order to cement his roster spot.
While it’s still early in the offseason, Sanders appears to be building momentum toward a spot on the final 53-man roster. He’s earned praise from both head coach Todd Bowles and Antoine Winfield Jr. alike, and is seemingly making all the right moves both on and off the field as he tries to endear himself to the organization. Sanders remains one of the most intriguing new players for Tampa Bay this offseason.
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