TAMPA, Fla. — Shilo Sanders quickly made his presence felt in first NFL preseason game.
Sanders creeped up to the line of scrimmage, blitzed untouched and hit Brandon Allen, driving him to the ground just after he threw the ball away.
A night after his younger brother had an impressive debut for the Cleveland Browns as the starting quarterback, Shilo Sanders got a clean shot at the QB in Tampa Bay’s 29-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.
“It felt good,” Sanders said about the hit. “Thank you, God, for putting me in position to even be on the field. I feel like I left some big hits on the table. Next game will be some improvement on my angles, on my tracking because you don’t really get to work on it in an NFL practice or you’re gonna get kicked out of practice. Seeing a game for the first time in a long time, did some good things. It is what it is.”
Signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, where he played with his brother for their Hall of Fame dad, Deion Sanders, Shilo Sanders is battling for a roster spot in a crowded defensive backfield.
He started the second half at safety and registered Tampa Bay’s first quarterback hit of the game on his first series, finishing with one tackle and a strong impression.
Shilo called his dad after the game and showed him his game-worn, No. 28 jersey, offering it as a birthday present. Deion Sanders turned 58 on Saturday.
“He didn’t want it,” Shilo said, laughing. “He’s a Hall of Famer. He expects 30 times more. I’m gonna give it to my mom, though. I gotta get like three picks or something (for him).”
Shedeur Sanders, who slipped to the fifth round of the draft, completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two TD passes and led three TD drives in a 30-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He played nearly three quarters and didn’t turn the ball over.
Both of Coach Prime’s sons have received plenty of attention throughout training camp. But neither player is even assured a roster spot. Shedeur is competing with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. Pickett and Gabriel missed the preseason opener because of hamstring injuries.
Shilo is battling with JJ Roberts and Rashad Wisdom behind 2023 All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., starter Tykee Smith and backups Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather.
“He played tough,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “I thought he went in and did a heck of a job. He had some good tackles inside. He had a pressure on the quarterback as well. He did some good coverage things, so he did a good job when he was in there.”
