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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released safety Shilo Sanders earlier this week following his ejection from a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and Deion Sanders recently touched on what’s next for his son.
“We’re praying that he gets another opportunity to go with a team, but if he doesn’t, the plans have already been put forward to what he’s going to do next,” Deion said, via ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
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Shilo went undrafted this past April, but signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent. While his coverage skills certainly leave much to be desired, his ability as a tackler had many wondering if he would be able to earn a spot on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster, especially given the injuries the Bucs have had in their secondary.
Shilo Sanders #21, Head coach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes walk the field during a senior day celebration prior to the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Shilo Sanders #21, Head coach Deion Sanders and Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes walk the field during a senior day celebration prior to the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Andrew Wevers/Getty Images
But obviously, the Buccaneers felt that Sanders was not yet ready to contribute regularly on the NFL level. Whether or not his ejection played a role in his release isn’t really clear, but it surely did not help his case.
Now, it’s important to note that Tampa Bay could always place Sanders on its practice squad so long as no other team picks him up. That being said, you have to think that some NFL team in need of secondary help may decide to take a chance on the University of Colorado product.
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Sanders registered 67 tackles, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown during his final season with the Buffaloes in 2024. He was actually better during his debut campaign at Boulder the year prior, when he finished with 70 tackles, an interception and four forced fumbles.
The 25-year-old began his collegiate career at South Carolina in 2019 and spent two years with the Gamecocks before transferring to Jackson State to play for Deion, who had taken over as head coach. He then moved on to Colorado once Deion accepted the head-coaching job of the Buffaloes in 2023.
For more on the Buccaneers and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.