The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially revealed their roster decision on rookie defensive back Shilo Sanders Sunday morning.
Sanders, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, is being released by the team ahead of Tuesday’s 53-man cutdown deadline. The news comes after the first-year safety was ejected from Saturday’s preseason finale for fighting with Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted news of Sanders’ release moments ago, along with a hint about the 25-year-old’s potential future options.
“Buccaneers informed rookie safety Shilo Sanders today that he is being waived, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, who added, ‘we’re hoping he gets claimed on waivers,'” Schefter wrote.
Buccaneers informed rookie safety Shilo Sanders today that he is being waived, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, who added, “we’re hoping he gets claimed on waivers.” pic.twitter.com/b81byFvdJR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2025
An ‘inexcusable’ punch
Sanders’ altercation with Davidson during the Bucs’ 23-19 loss was not your garden variety scuffle. The son of NFL legend and University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was kicked out of the game for throwing a punch at the five-year veteran
“You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. “They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”
Sanders, who was in the running for the final safety spot on Tampa Bay’s roster, did not speak to reporters postgame.
What’s next?
As Schefter mentioned above, Sanders and his representatives are probably hoping to see him claimed by another team on waivers, which would increase the likelihood of him starting the season on someone’s 53-man roster.
If he’s not claimed, it is possible Sanders could wind up back in Tampa Bay, provided he didn’t wear out his welcome with Saturday’s incident. The Bucs may opt to bring the Colorado alum back as a member of the taxi squad.
Sanders’ younger brother Shedeur is awaiting his own roster decision with the Cleveland Browns. Shedeur was a fifth-round pick of the Browns back in April, but his status is up in the air because of how crowded the team’s quarterback room is.
“Shilo is working his butt off … I can’t wait to see how sharp he is,” Deion Sanders said prior to the 2025 NFL Draft. “Shedeur is a workaholic. You guys know that he is who he is, and sometimes people forget what he’s accomplished here at CU and how accurate and how good he is, because you got to take a shot at somebody, and you might as well take a shot as a Sanders, we built for this.
