Bucs UDFA safety Shilo Sanders.
Yeah, Joe knows folks have their opinions of Deion Sanders and his sons.
Deion Sanders, the Hall of Fame corner and perhaps the greatest athlete who ever played in the NFL (sure, many believe Bo Jackson was — but did Bo Jackson hit .533 in a World Series like Deion did?).
So when the Bucs brought out the “other” Deion son, Shilo Sanders, a Bucs undrafted free agent safety, Joe didn’t know what to expect.
Joe’s going to be honest: He seemed like an impressive young man. And Joe’s not saying that just because Sanders [shook everyone’s hand](https://x.com/JennaLaineESPN/status/1921246013127340435) (though it was a nice touch).
Shilo Sanders certainly comes across as really smart. And he said all the right things like how he came to town early because he wanted to get the lay of the land and try to get a head start on preparing for minicamp.
After practice Friday, Bucs coach Todd Bowles raved about Sanders saying how Sanders was “very intelligent” and “very loud.”
That was meant to be a compliment. Bowles likes to hear his defensive backs chirping. That tells him they are on the same page.
Joe recounted Bowles’ words about Sanders to Sanders yesterday morning. He busted out laughing and bragged that he could get loud — and there’s a method to the madness.
> “That is the No. 1 thing you have to do as a safety,” Sanders explained. “To be able to communicate and be an extension of the defensive coordinator on the field.”
He backed up his words. Watching him during practice inside the Glazer Shed yesterday, Sanders was certainly demonstrative, pointing and waving on each play to make sure his teammates saw a formation or Sanders may have been pointing out to pay attention to a receiver.
> “I’m being cool right now but I get really loud,” Sanders joked before practice.
Sanders showed his smarts early in practice.
On a jet sweep/Benn’d Around play where receiver Winston Wright (Eastern Carolina) tried to run from left to right, Sanders sniffed the play out immediately. Sanders was waiting for Wright. If hitting/tackling was allowed, Sanders likely would have had a tackle for loss.
So what will Sanders do with the Bucs? Any undrafted free agent has an uphill climb, no matter who his father is. But Sanders is smart. And a guy with a good head on his shoulders and a good work ethic, Joe will never count those guys out.
And, yeah, the Bucs are a little thin at safety, too.
Just ask Ronde Barber how far having football smarts can take a player.