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Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shilo Sanders makes a big first impression with the Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Shilo Sanders walked into his first news conference with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately shook hands with each reporter. Coach Prime's son knows how to make a first impression on and off the field. Like his dad, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, Shilo displayed his engaging personality and commanded the interview room. He asked for beach recommendations and revealed that he plans to be the 'snack guy' for the team's safety group. 'Man, look at where we're at,' Sanders said with a big smile. 'Look at the whole coaching staff. It's a really supportive coaching staff. Everybody wants to see everybody do good. Everybody on the team, we all want to see each other win. It's a great environment to thrive in.' Sanders, who signed with the Buccaneers after being passed up in the draft, impressed coach Todd Bowles on the first day of rookie camp with his intelligence. 'Like the rest of the safeties, he's very intelligent, he's very loud,' Bowles said. 'You can hear him (on the field), making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things Day 1. There was about three or four of them that did. He was one of them, but you have to make plays in pads. That's what it comes down to — knowing what to do and then doing it consistently and constantly getting better every day.' The 25-year-old Sanders even helped younger teammates with some of the defensive calls. 'He's very smart,' rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish said. 'He helped me a lot with the adjustments. I'm excited to work with him.' While younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, drew most of the attention during the draft after slipping to Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, Shilo didn't get a call until hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus. 'They gave me a chance before anyone so I'm forever grateful to the Buccaneers and I'm just gonna do everything in my power to help this team win,' Sanders said. 'That's all I want.' Shilo played in the shadow of his quarterback brother while they were coached by their father at Jackson State and Colorado. He wasn't expected to be a top-5 pick like Shedeur but ended up in a favorable spot with the four-time defending NFC South champion Buccaneers, a team that needs help in the secondary. 'My take on being disappointed in lows is that it's not a real low because you can't change the past,' Sanders said. 'I just trust God, and I always end up doing something great, so I just know it's going to happen, and whatever is happening currently is to learn or grow from.' Sanders missed three weeks last season at Colorado because of a broken forearm. He finished third on the Buffaloes with 67 total tackles, recovered two fumbles, including one he returned for a touchdown at Texas Tech. He had four forced fumbles, one recovery and a pick-6 his junior season. The Buccaneers need more playmakers in the secondary. 'It's just an 'it' thing. You either got it or you don't,' Sanders said. 'Throughout my whole career, I've always been a guy who gets the ball out any way, shape or form. Forced fumbles, picks, I'm gonna get the ball. That's the whole point of playing defense. We wanna get the offense the ball.' As for his baby brother in Cleveland, Shilo said about Shedeur: 'He's been missing me. He's been calling me like 6 a.m. He wants some brotherly love. His big brother isn't next him in practice but we talk a lot.' ___ AP NFL: Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
Washington Post
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Bucs rookie Desmond Watson, at 430-plus pounds, wants to make people forget his size
TAMPA, Fla. — Desmond Watson's goal is to make people forget about his size and view him for his unique big-man talent. It's hard to ignore the heaviest player in NFL history. Watson's journey to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began this weekend at the team's rookie camp. He already has dropped between 25-30 pounds since weighing 464 pounds at the league's scouting combine and he plans to lose more.
Associated Press
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Bucs rookie Desmond Watson, at 430-plus pounds, wants to make people forget his size
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Watson's goal is to make people forget about his size and view him for his unique big-man talent. It's hard to ignore the heaviest player in NFL history. Watson's journey to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began this weekend at the team's rookie camp. He already has dropped between 25-30 pounds since weighing 464 pounds at the league's scouting combine and he plans to lose more. 'It's a good story, but I don't want that to be my narrative,' Watson said Saturday. 'I want to be known as a football player and a good football player at that. But I guess it's nice to make history.' The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle from Florida is working with a team nutritionist and they haven't determined an ideal playing weight for him yet. 'It's still a work in progress,' Watson said Saturday. 'There's a way to go. We're going to see where I play best, where I feel best at.' Watson went undrafted last month before his hometown team signed him as a free agent. He couldn't stop smiling when he met with reporters before his second day of practice. 'I'm happy. It's a dream come true. I can't do anything but smile,' Watson said. 'My life feels like a movie. You couldn't write a script where a person goes from little league to high school to college (to the NFL) not having to go out of state.' Watson, who grew up about 20 miles from Raymond James Stadium, said he's still never seen snow. He's excited to learn from another big man, 346-pound defensive tackle Vita Vea. Watson briefly met the two-time Pro Bowler and exchanged a handshake. Vea is one of the league's premier defensive players against the run and Watson wants to be 'a dominant run-stopper.' 'Being in position to have somebody you look up to and model your game after be a leader and vet at your position group, I feel like I'm blessed,' Watson said. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was impressed with Watson's first day but cautioned he has a long way to go. 'He looked just as impressive before as he does now, so he's a huge man. He's got a lot of size,' Bowles said. 'He has to make the team, first of all. Right now, we just have to see how long he can stay on the field and (we) put him on a program where we think he can make some progress. I think that's the biggest thing for us to do, right now. We didn't get him to say, 'Hey, we have to put you on the field right now.' It's, 'Hey, we can try to put you on this program and see what we can come up with and see if we can get our endurance better,' and have him become a better player that way, then kind of see where he is. To judge him right now is very early and we didn't get him for the tush push, we got him because we really thought he could play. It's just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays a (drive).' Watson's size and affable personality have made him a fan favorite. He has plenty of supporters rooting for him to make the team and make an impact. 'I've felt the love,' Watson said. 'Mainly because it's unheard of, I feel like people gravitate toward me. It's been that way my whole life as far as just the energy I carry around. I do appreciate it.' Watson wowed NFL scouts last month by repping 225 pounds a whopping 36 times, which topped any bench-press performance at this year's combine. He covered the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds and recorded 25 inches in the vertical jump. Watson finished his collegiate career with 63 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. He also reluctantly carried the ball for a 1-yard gain and lined up at fullback for a few more plays against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl in December. 'It was special,' Watson said of his carry. 'A lot of my supporters were trying to get me and the coaching staff to do it. I was always against it, but I felt like to finish off my college career, I had to give people what they wanted to see.' ___ AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL:
National Post
10-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Roughriders announce first round of roster cuts
Following a three-day rookie camp, the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced their first round of roster cuts on Saturday. Article content With training camps opening across the CFL on Sunday, teams were required to trim their rosters to 85 players before midnight. Article content The Roughriders released seven players including quarterback Michael Hiers and linebacker Zachary Philion, both who spent time with the club last season, while national kicker Ben Hadley has been moved to the retired list. Article content Article content Released: Article content National defensive back Richard Aduboffour National defensive lineman Kolade Amusan American quarterback Michael Hiers American receiver Jayden Horace American defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine National linebacker Zachary Philion American defensive back Alfahiym Walcott Article content National kicker Ben Hadley Article content
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jets tryout Giovanni Williams looks to join brothers Quinnen and Quincy to make some NFL history
New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) New York Jets linebacker Giovanni Williams responds to questions from media during the NFL football team's rookie camp, Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Giovanni Williams watched his older brothers chase their NFL dreams and become playmaking teammates with the New York Jets. Now, the young linebacker is getting a chance to join them — and perhaps make some history. Advertisement Williams, the younger brother of defensive tackle Quinnen and linebacker Quincy, is in rookie minicamp with the Jets as a tryout after going undrafted out of Miles College, a Division II historically Black college in Fairfield, Alabama. 'It feels good,' Giovanni Williams said Saturday after practice. "It feels, I'd say, honestly, bittersweet just because living behind them, making my own name, I had to still live behind them. But it's sweet because me and my brother (Quincy) play the same position. So it's like, I can call on him for help and we've got the same competition level. So it's going to be like competition, just like always. 'Just like we're back home, just a big competition.' If the younger Williams can make the team, it's believed the Jets would be the first squad in NFL history to have three brothers on the same active roster. Advertisement 'Honestly, it will mean a lot to me just to know that I came to the minicamp and I was coachable, I had urgency,' Williams said. 'And just to be on the team with my brothers, it'll feel good. It'll be historical.' He still has plenty of work to do to pave that path to potential football history. But getting on the field with the rest of the Jets' rookies was a good start. 'I just think it's outstanding that he has a Jets jersey on and both of his brothers are actually here with us, so it's a beautiful story,' coach Aaron Glenn said. 'He's working his butt off.' Quinnen was a first-round draft pick of the Jets — No. 3 overall — out of Alabama in 2019. He has since been selected once as an All-Pro and three times for the Pro Bowl. Advertisement Quincy, the oldest of the three brothers, was a third-rounder the same year as Quinnen, taken by Jacksonville out of Murray State. He has also made an All-Pro team and become one of the league's top middle linebackers. Giovanni, meanwhile, spent three years at Texas A&M Kingsville and played the 2021 and 2022 seasons after sitting out as a freshman during the 2020 COVID-19 year. He transferred to Miles and played in two games in 2023 and had 29 total tackles and a sack in 11 games last season — after breaking his right hand in the season opener — while helping the school win a conference championship. 'I'm in the middle — I've got Quincy's speed, but I've got Quinnen's build,' said Giovanni, who said he weighs 222 pounds and was listed as 6-foot-1 in college. 'So it's like I'm the middle of both of them. So everybody compares me as the hybrid of both.' It wasn't always that way, though. In fact, Giovanni said, he weighed more — a lot more — than the 303-pound Quinnen when he was younger. Advertisement 'Yeah, I was like 350 pounds in high school,' Giovanni said smiling and shaking his head. 'I know, I know. I was huge. I've got pictures you need to see now.' He has videos and photos posted on his Instagram page, showing how he dramatically transformed his body. 'Yeah, actually, there's a funny story about that,' Giovanni said. "So I went from 350 (pounds) to like 185 in like three or four months and then I had to build it all the way up to like 220 just to get solid because when I was like 350, that was like, all right, you know, you've got to look the part. So I didn't look like I was a middle linebacker. 'So I kind of was, like, I got in my head a little bit. I won't say depressed, but I just got in my head a little bit and I was like, 'You've got to work now, you've got to look the part.' So I just did everything I could do and just got all my weight down and then just built it back up solid.' Advertisement And now he's on an NFL field after getting a call from his agent saying that the Jets were going to give him an opportunity to join his brothers. 'Honestly, seeing my chances, all I can do is just come out here and do me and just handle my business,' he said. 'Put my best foot forward and see whatever happens, happens.' ___ AP NFL:
