Shilo Sanders has found a team, and he is grateful for it. On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were reported to have signed the Colorado safety and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as an undrafted free agent.
Taking to his Instagram Stories two days later, he wrote:
"Shout out (to) God! All I needed was (an) opportunity!!! Thank you @buccaneers"


Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
Meanwhile, speaking to SiriusXM, head coach Todd Bowles had plenty of optimism about the prospects of Shedeur Sanders' elder brother succeeding in the NFL, whether it be on defense or special teams:
"I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves. 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."
Fox Sports' Greg Auman also likes Sanders chances of making the Buccaneers' final 53-man roster:
Shilo Sanders not the only son of a prominent NFL figure to join Buccaneers
But as it turns out, another second-generation figure could be joining Shilo Sanders in Florida's Gulf Coast. Ashley Liotus, correspondent for ABC's Pittsburgh-area affiliate WTAE 4, reported on Monday that the Buccaneers had invited Dino Tomlin, son of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (who was also Tampa's secondary coach from 2001 to 2005), to their minicamp:
The wide receiver out of Boston College via Maryland had his best performance in 2023, setting career-highs in receptions (24) and receiving yards (312). However, Josh Hill, a columnist for FanSided's Buccaneers vertical The Pewter Plank, sees making the final 53-man roster as "an uphill battle" for him:
"Dino probably won't be battling for the WR5 role, although at that point the roster starts running out of room... The safety net is the practice squad, which (Oregon's) Tez Johnson might have a spot locked up on if all goes well. That might be the ceiling, but he'll be able to take his first steps in a place (where) his father once made a name for himself."
Another prominent UDFA for the team is locally-born nose tackle Desmond Watson, who has gained fame for his size (over 400 lbs).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fans! Check out the latest Tampa Bay Schedule and dive into the Tampa Bay Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.