Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders was ejected from the team’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills after throwing a punch at Bills tight end Zach Davidson.
Sanders’ ejection occurred at the end of a play that saw Bills quarterback Shane Buechele throw a 1-yard pass to Elijah Moore. Sanders was engaged with Davidson, who was blocking him and continued to push the rookie safety down the field after Moore had already been tackled.
After Davidson delivered a final push to Sanders, the Colorado product took a swing at the 6-7 tight end. He landed a blow to the left side of Davidson’s helmet, prompting an immediate flag from the officials.
Sanders was quickly disqualified from the contest, bringing to an end his first NFL preseason. The Bills scored an 11-yard touchdown one play after his exit from the game.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was asked during a postgame news conference about his message to Sanders after the play.
‘You can’t throw punches in this league. I mean, that’s inexcusable,’ Bowles said. ‘They’re gonna get you every time. Gotta grow from that.’
Sanders racked up three total tackles across his three preseason games with the Buccaneers, as he battled for a spot on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster. He was listed as a third-string safety behind Antonie Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, Kaevon Merriweather and Christian Izien on the Buccaneers’ most recent depth chart update.
Now, the 25-year-old rookie’s wait to see if he made Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster will begin in earnest.
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