Shilo Sanders couldn't afford a mishap.
And then he made about as big a mistake as he could've made during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason finale on Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills.
Tangled up with Bills tight end Zach Davidson after a play, Sanders threw a right-handed punch.
It earned him an automatic ejection.
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And with that, he went from getting one final chance to make his case for a roster spot to walking off the field, unable to do anything else.
It was already an uphill climb for Sanders as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, trying to prove he can be an NFL safety.
And now, he ended his preseason with this negative moment.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles shared his thoughts after the game to reporters:
“You can’t throw punches in this league. That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that.”
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The scary word there for Sanders' roster hopes: "Inexcusable."
It's hard for teams to excuse even a star player throwing a punch and getting ejected.
But a guy on the roster bubble? It becomes tough to justify a spot on the back of the 53-man roster to a player whose final preseason action was earning an ejection.
The Bucs still have a couple days, with cutdown coming Tuesday. Sanders could also potentially be put onto the practice squad.
But his actions, and Bowles' comments, don't look like those of a player who is set to make the regular season opening roster.
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