Why Shilo Sanders, Buccaneers make sense as undrafted free agent partnership

Shilo Sanders had to wait even longer than Shedeur to find his NFL home.

But on Saturday at about 7:30 p.m. ET, Shilo reached an undrafted free agent agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Shilo's a legitimate NFL safety prospect. On a pick-six during his Colorado career, he returned the ball for a touchdown at a max speed of 21.5 miles per hour.

In 2024, Shilo had 67 tackles. He began his college career at South Carolina, then went to Jackson State with his father before following to Colorado.

The Bucs are an intriguing destination for Shilo for a couple of reasons. Here's how it breaks down.

Deion Sanders-Todd Bowles connection

There was a time when Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was connected to a job at Colorado.

Bowles, a strong defensive coordinator when he hasn't been a head coach, was on the hot seat in 2023, and a report indicated he could look to join Sanders if he lost his job.

That didn't come to pass, but clearly Bowles liked Shilo.

Buccaneers depth chart

Tampa Bay has one star safety, Antoine Winfield Jr. 

Beyond Winfield, they have some talent but not a lot of established players.

Shilo is a longshot to make a big impact, just as all undrafted free agents are. But he'll at least have a chance on this team.

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Opportunity is opportunity

In the end, Shilo Sanders just needed someone to give him a chance.

That's what the Buccaneers have done.

It's gotta be tough to think you might get drafted and then not be selected.

Now, Shilo gets the chance to prove all those other teams wrong, just like his brother.

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