The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need someone to emerge at the safety spot and ease concerns about the thin depth at the position.
Antoine Winfield Jr. is dealing with hamstring tightness, and while he’s only being held out as a precaution, it’s still a cause for concern after he missed eight games in 2024 due to injuries.
Marcus Banks, another safety competing for a roster spot, was waived recently with an injury settlement.
Standout rookie defensive back J.J. Roberts, who was firmly expected to earn a roster spot and beat Sanders for a depth spot at safety, will miss the entirety of the 2025 season due to a knee injury he suffered in joint practice against the Steelers.
Christian Izien, Tampa Bay’s most versatile defender who can play both safety spots as well as nickel cornerback, went down with an oblique injury in Saturday’s preseason game against Pittsburgh, and the timetable for his return is currently unknown.
Long story short, the Buccaneers’ safety room is thin, and the injuries piling up was supposed to open the door for Shilo Sanders to earn a roster spot as a depth piece, but he failed to make the impact he needed to in the preseason game against the Steelers.
Shilo Sanders struggles to stand out in Buccaneers safety competition
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sanders totaled just two tackles. He also missed two tackles, and failed to make any plays in coverage.
Kaevon Merriweather, who Sanders is competing with for a roster spot, totaled 4 tackles.
The other competitor in the safety room, Rashad Wisdom, also had two tackles and added a pass broken up.
Last week in his NFL debut against the Tennessee Titans, Sanders at least made his presence felt with some hard hits. On Saturday, his missed tackles are where Sanders made the most noise.
Time is running out on Sanders if he wants to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. If he doesn’t, Sanders is a likely candidate to earn a spot on the Buccaneers practice squad where he can continue to develop and potentially get called up to the active roster if the depth situation demands it.
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