When Colorado product Shilo Sanders went undrafted last April, the chorus of doubters was loud. It's something Sanders has dealt with his entire life as the often unforgotten son of Deion Sanders. Unlike Shedeur, Shilo doesn't play a glamorous position. He did not have an entire army of internet trolls at his disposal to earn him a roster spot. Shilo had to do it on his own, and he nearly achieved that feat before getting in his own way.
Sanders was signed as a UDFA by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but didn't make the roster following an ejection from his last preseason contest. Shilo was publicly scolded by Todd Bowles to the media, as he tried to punch Buffalo Bills tight end Zach Davidson.
“You can’t throw punches in this league,” Bowles said, via the team’s website. “That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that.”
Where does Shilo Sanders go from here?
That was all she wrote. Sanders was placed on waivers shortly thereafter, and that's the last we've heard from him since, minus the casual rumblings from fans hoping their team makes a run at Shilo. FanSided's Lior Lampert, for example, believed the Steelers made the most sense as his permanent home.
"If anyone can maximize Sanders, it's Mike Tomlin. The Steelers' longtime sideline general has constantly made lemonade out of lemons during his time as the leader of the Black and Gold. Despite sporting one of the better overall defenses in the league last season, Pittsburgh's secondary was leaky at times, allowing the ninth-most passing yards. Can they improve on that mark sans Fitzpatrick, even with seven-time Pro Bowl corner Jalen Ramsey in the mix?" Lampert wrote.
Yet, the Steelers had their chance to claim Sanders and passed. Even the Buccaneers, after teaching Sanders a lesson, could have signed him to their practice squad. Instead, Tampa chose another in safety Jack Henderson.
Why Deion Sanders couldn't have prepared Shilo Sanders for this
For what it's worth, Deion Sanders insists his son will be fine with time.
"Oh, most definitely [I've talked to him]," Sanders said. "He's my son, I'm proud of my kids, all of them. And I prepared my kids for any and everything that could possibly happen in life and in sports. That's part of fathering, that's part of parenting, that's part of having a relationship. So he is mentally where he needs to be, physically where he needs to be. We're praying that he gets another opportunity to go with a team, but if he doesn't, the plans have already been put forward to what he's going to do next."
Coach Prime is right, in a sense. Whether Shilo makes a team or not, he is going to be a name brand somewhere. His social following alone guarantees him influence many would pay good money for. However, there's also no way Deion could've prepared Shilo for this in part because he never went through it himself. Sure, Deion's been doubted at time, but he could always fall back on his talent and persona. Deion Sanders is a Hall of Famer and one of the best defensive backs of all-time. He never struggled to make a roster past college, nor should he have.
What Deion has prepared his kids for is life, with or without football. As Prime said following Shilo's release, he is a man of many talents. He will put the pieces back together, even when he has to give the gridiron up for good.