Don’t let the tag ‘undrafted free agent’ fool you. Shilo Sanders may have fallen outside the draft board but he’s never forgotten. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw enough to bring him in as one of their 15 undrafted players, including former Florida DL Desmond Watson. And now, the hard-hitting safety, aka the CEO of the Headache Gang, has HC Todd Bowles’ attention, not just as another camp body. 

After Day 1 of rookie minicamp, Todd Bowles hit the podium posted by Tampa Bay Buccaneers on May 9 to drop a verdict on Shilo Sanders. And he gave six-word feedback that threw positive light on the former Colorado safety—“He’s very intelligent. He’s very loud.” That’s the kind of player you’d want to plug into your system. And you see, Bowles is an old-school defensive guy who doesn’t hand out compliments unless they’re truly earned. So his verdict carries extra weight. 

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via Imago

Shilo Sanders made the most out of his first day in the franchise uniform. He showed up in Tampa rocking the No. 28, the same number worn by Bucs’ legend Warrick Dunn and other players like CB Vernon Hargreaves III and RB Leonard Fournette. Now, he’s bringing energy from snap one.

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According to Todd Bowles, “You can hear him today making calls and everything. So he got a good grasp of things day one. It was about three or four of them that did. He was one of them.” You can already feel it; he’s trying to make the team’s 53-man roster by taking someone’s job.

Let’s not forget that this guy’s not just a story because of his last name. Shilo Sanders grinded through three different programs—South Carolina, Jackson State, and Colorado. Over 54 career games and 36 starts, he racked up 229 tackles and six interceptions. At Colorado alone, he tallied 137 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one pick, five PBUs, three FRs, and five FFs. That’s serious energy. And speaking of energy, his arrival wasn’t just loud on the field; it was loud off-field too. 

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Shilo Sanders gives Deion Sanders Jr. something to be grateful for

You know Shilo Sanders. The jokester. He’s no stranger to getting on Deion Sanders’ nerves sometimes with his hilarious takes. He even fired his own dad as his agent because he wasn’t doing a good job getting him on an NFL team. This jovial personality followed him to Tampa.

The man got off the team bus and joked—“I know I ain’t got no code yet, so I need somebody to let me in.” That’s the entertainer, always keeping it real. And combine that charisma with the football IQ that Todd Bowles praised, and that lucrative deal is worth it. 

Let’s also talk dollars. Shilo Sanders signed a three-year, $2,965,000 rookie deal with the Bucs. Not bad for an undrafted agent huh? Sharing a post by the Buccaneers welcoming Shilo Sanders to the “Krewe,” Deion Sanders Jr. showed his gratitude and joy in a simple IG note—“God is the GREATEST.” That wasn’t just a celebration; it was a statement.

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Still, there’s no sugarcoating it. The 25-year-old still got an uphill climb. Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is locked in as one starting safety. But the second spot could be up for grabs. So if Shilo Sanders keeps showing that “loud and intelligent” edge, we can’t be surprised if he cracks the 53-man roster in September.