With Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp looming, Shilo Sanders will be in the spotlight as he competes for a roster spot. All reports indicate he was a standout in rookie minicamps and OTAs already this offseason, but it does seem like he's not guaranteed a place on the 53-man roster given a crowded safety room and his status as a undrafted free agent. However, the UDFA continuing what he's already started with impressing the Bucs coaches could make Sanders' case quite interesting.
To some degree, the Buccaneers may not have expected Sanders to be making such a push to make the roster after training camp. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith are the clear starters, while 2023 UDFAs Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather have been entrenched as depth pieces. The big question is if the Bucs will keep five safeties or not, which they could, especially if they shake up the depth at other positions.
One of the big roadblocks for Sanders beyond that is a fellow undrafted rookie, J.J. Roberts out of Marshall. However, despite Roberts also impressing, training camp and the preseason could be a battle between the two for a potential fifth safety spot. But one thing that stands out is that the Bucs have some veterans, fifth safety or not, who shouldn't be blocking Sanders from the 53-man roster.
Shilo Sanders deserves to make Bucs 53-man roster over these 3 veterans
3. Sterling Shepard, wide receiver
One of the biggest avenues for the Buccaneers to keep five safeties to bolster Todd Bowles' defensive depth with Shilo Sanders would be to keep fewer wide receivers on the roster. There's no better veteran candidate to get out of that mix than Sterling Shepard.
While the veteran Oklahoma product has ties to Baker Mayfield, he's only on a one-year, $2.25 million contract extension after being activated off the practice squad in the middle of last season. The cost to cut him from the 53-man roster wouldn't be prohibitive. More importantly, the loss in production wouldn't be all too hurtful either. After all, in 14 games and five starts amid the Bucs wide receiver injuries last year, Shepard still only produced 32 catches (on 51 targets) for 334 yards and one touchdown. He hasn't had more than 400 yards in a season since 2020.
Perhaps more importantly, the Buccaneers drafting Emeka Egbuka in the first round changes the receiver math for the roster. Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer are all locks, but could also be a group that Tampa feels confident in with only keeping five players, especially if they can stash Rakim Jarrett and Tez Johnson on the practice squad as well. Given that depth at the position, it'd be more valuable to keep the upside of Sanders in the secondary than a veteran who doesn't really have a path to playing time anyway.
2. Kindle Vildor, cornerback
Speaking of positions other than safety that the Bucs could look to tighten up, the cornerback spot certainly would make some sense. With some of the young additions in tandem with established veterans, someone like Kindle Vildor should be a player that isn't guaranteed a roster spot. Furthermore, him being cut could be an aim to trim some of the fat and thus keep five safeties, especially with the versatility of the aforementioned Tykee Smith.
Vildor signed with Tampa Bay this offseason, but it's hard to believe that he should be remotely considered a certainty to make the roster based on his track record. He was third-to-last among qualified cornerbacks in coverage grade with Detroit last season according to PFF ($) and has never graded out as even an average player at the position in his five-year career, much less above average.
Again considering Smith's ability to slot out to play cornerback in addition to safety, if the Bucs kept Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, rookies Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, and then someone like Bryce Hall or Josh Hayes, that would make a ton of sense. That could also open the door for Sanders to make the roster. But what's clearer is that the Colorado product, even if undrafted, deserves more of a chance than someone like Vildor on this roster if they can make the positional math work.
1. Christian Izien, safety
More than Shepard or Vildor, though, the biggest thing that the Bucs to consider if they keep five safeties is if they'd be better off with the incumbent four players and one of Roberts or Sanders, or if they should just keep Roberts and Sanders over someone like Christian Izien. In that scenario, there could even be a battle between the two undrafted rookies for a fourth safety spot in camp and the preseason.
Coming out of Rutgers as an undrafted rookie himself in 2023, Izien shined as a rookie, playing 780 snaps. He was above average as both a run defender and a coverage player, which brought some high hopes for him in the 2024 season. His sophomore effort, however, was a massive letdown. His run defense was still just slightly above average, but his coverage numbers fell off a cliff, ranking 98th in passer rating allowed and 119th in yards per reception allowed.
Because Izien also came into the league as a UDFA signing, his roster spot shouldn't be considered a guarantee at all. It should be a true competition between him, Sanders and Roberts through the rest of the offseason. Iron will sharpen iron in that regard, but it could also be the most obvious path for Sanders to make the roster, especially if last season starts to look like the norm for Izien with his rookie season being more the outlier.