Shilo Sanders
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Shilo Sanders wants to make an impact in the NFL.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie safety Shilo Sanders wants to deliver his “it” factor this year despite not getting draft.
Sanders forced five fumbles and picked off one pass in his two seasons with Colorado, and he wants to keep doing that with the Buccaneers. The famed son of former NFL great Deion Sanders could boost the Buccaneers secondary if that comes to fruition.
“It’s just an ‘it’ thing: Either you’ve got it or you don’t,” Shilo Sanders told reporters on May 9. “Throughout my whole career, I’ve always been a guy that gets the ball out, in any way, shape or form — forced fumbles, picks.”
“I’m going to get the ball, and that’s the whole part of playing defense,” he added. “We want to get the offense the ball.”
Last season, the Buccaneers created 16 forced fumbles and seven interceptions. The Buccaneers were in the upper half of the league for forced fumbles but the bottom half for interceptions.
Shilo Sanders Could Fill Buccaneers’ Need
Shilo Sanders
GettyShilo Sanders has made a positive impression at the Buccaneers rookie minicamp.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles liked what he has seen from Sanders thus far at rookie minicamp.
“Like the rest of the safeties, he’s very intelligent, he’s very loud,” Bowles told reporters on May 9. “You can hear him today, making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things Day 1. There were about three or four of them that did.”
“He was one of them, but you have to make plays in pads,” Bowles added. “That’s what it comes down to — knowing what to do and then doing it consistently and constantly getting better every day.”
Sanders joins the Buccaneers at a time when the team needs depth in the secondary. The Buccaneers defensive backfield finished 29th for passing yards allowed and 19th for passing touchdowns allowed.
In addition, Sanders wants to prove he belongs after not getting drafted despite his family ties to an NFL Hall of Famer. Shilo Sanders played two seasons for his father at Colorado and two seasons for him at FCS Jackson State in 2021 and 2022.
“My take on being disappointed in lows is that it’s not a real low because you can’t change the past,” Shilo Sanders explained. “I just trust God, and I always end up doing something great, so I just know it’s going to happen, and whatever is happening currently is to learn or grow from.”
Sanders first played a South Carolina in 2019, and he produced 32 tackles in 10 games played between his two seasons with the Gamecocks. He then tallied 59 tackles, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 20 games at Jackson State.
Todd Bowles Understands Shilo Sanders’ Family Dynamics
For Bowles, it’s not new coaching a player who is a son of a former NFL star. Bowles has done the same with Antoine Winfield Jr. in Tampa and Kacy Rodgers II during his tenure with the New York Jets.
“I think you’re always going to be a parent first and put your kids first. Any parent in the country wants to see their kids succeed, no matter what,” Bowles said. “I’ve coached former players’ kids before, so this is nothing new. Deion [Sanders] understands the game. We were in Miami with Kacy [Rodgers] and Kacy’s son came with us to Miami, so I’ve had quite a few players’ sons, from that standpoint.”
“As a father, when your sons try to make it, you’re always looking at it as a father first. As long as their dreams come true and you get to see them as a parent, that’s really the main thing you want to see,” Bowles added. “You want your kids to be better than what you were and do better than what you were — that’s all you can hope for. You understand the business from a coaching standpoint, you understand we have a job to do. It kind of goes from there.”