Shilo Sanders Impresses Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Coaches, Veterans At OTAs

Former Colorado Buffaloes All-Conference safety Shilo Sanders is participating in OTAs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite being an undrafted free agent, Sanders is making the most of his opportunities as he’s not only developed a keen understanding of media relations, but he’s also showing quality performance on the field. At the end of the day, showing you belong when between the lines is the most important part of the job.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles is one of the foremost defensive minds in the NFL and has been around some of the best defensive players of all time. Bowles recently spoke about Sanders and the qualities he has as a football player and why he feels comfortable that Sanders deserves a chance to showcase his talents and fight to earn a roster spot on a playoff-caliber team.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety Shilo Sanders (21) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“I think he’s a good football player. He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well; he can see the game very well. So giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint. . . . I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player and he understands the game very well. So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well,” Bowles said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Beyond Bowles, All-Pro safety and Super Bowl champion Antoine Winfield Jr. has also taken a liking to Sanders. Winning over the players in the locker room can oftentimes be more difficult than winning over coaches and front office personnel who don’t spend as much time with you in the weight room, locker room, and away from the facilities and those controlled environments. Sanders has done so in a short amount of time.

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"He plays hard. He works hard. He really wants to learn and he just wants to improve his game so that's something that you admire from somebody coming in who wants to learn and actually play this game,” All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

The upward trend for Sanders is no fluke either. Realistically, the climb to making the roster will continue to be an increasingly difficult one, but Sanders is building on the initial impression he made on coach Bowles during the first rookie minicamp a few weeks ago in early May. Here’s what Bowles had to say even then.

Jan 30, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; West defensive back Shilo Sanders of Colorado (21) drops into cover against the East during the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"Like the rest of the safeties, he’s very intelligent, he’s very loud," Bowles said. "You can hear him (on the field), making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things Day 1. There was about three or four of them that did. He was one of them, but you have to make plays in pads. That’s what it comes down to – knowing what to do and then doing it consistently and constantly getting better every day."

Sanders seems to be doing just that, improving. If nothing else, a practice squad spot should be an attainable goal if he continues along this path.

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