TAMPA, Fla. -- Buccaneers rookie safety Shilo Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was ejected from Tampa Bay's third preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night after an unnecessary roughness call.
Sanders, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado who is competing for a spot on the 53-man roster or the practice squad, punched tight end Zach Davidson, who was blocking him, after some heavy pushing and shoving.
Sanders' teammate, linebacker John Bullock, tried to calm him. Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles looked at Sanders as he walked back to the sideline late in the second quarter.
Bowles addressed the incident after Tampa Bay's 23-19 loss.
"You can't throw punches in this league -- that's inexcusable," Bowles said. "They're going to get you every time. You've got to grow from that."
Sanders was not available for comment after the game.
Sanders is competing for the fourth and final safety spot with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom to back up Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith and Christian Izien. Sanders was also flagged for a defensive pass interference call in the first quarter.
In 2023, while at Colorado, Sanders was ejected after receiving a targeting penalty for a hit on UCLA running back Carsen Ryan just before halftime.