The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to give defensive tackle Desmond Watson a shot during the preseason — Watson could just never hold up his side of the bargain.
Now, the Buccaneers are taking another look at Watson, who would be the heaviest player in NFL history and checked in at 6-foot-5 and 464 pounds at the end of his final season at the University of Florida.
Bucs just worked out Gators DT Desmond Watson,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on X on September 19. “Watson has not been signed to the practice squad or anything. As an undrafted free agent, he spent training camp and preseason with the Bucs on the non-football illness list. Bucs play Philadelphia next week.”
Watson’s size made him a curious and enticing NFL prospect but he never even got to participate in an actual padded practice for the Buccaneers, who kept him sidelined over his weight.
Watson had held on the non-football injury list as Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles tried to get Watson’s weight to what he considered a “manageable” number. That never happened and he was eventually released on August 25 as he Buccaneers cut down to their 53-man roster.
“Bucs are waiving rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson, who had been on the non-football illness list all of training camp,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote. “Had needed to get his weight down — could have moved him to reserve-NFI, but they’ll cut him outright. Not going to practice squad at the moment.”
Watson’s Weight Made Him Viral Sensation
Watson’s weight has varied wildly since he weighed in at 464 pounds at Florida’s Pro Day — going from around 450 pounds to as low as 437 pounds.
Watson did the 225-pound bench press a staggering 36 times at Pro Day and ran the 40-yard dash in 5.86 seconds.
“There (are) times where I do basically starving and stuff like that,” Watson told USA Today’s Josh Peter before the draft. “And I would drop weight, of course, but I didn’t feel confident that way. I didn’t feel strong, I didn’t feel fast. I feel like right now is the best I felt with the process of losing weight.”
Watson’s weight has been a constant talking point since the Plant City, Florida, native weighed in at 440 pounds when he enrolled at Florida in 2021.
Watson’s weight fluctuated wildly over his 4 seasons at Florida and he was down to as low as 400 pounds at one point. He had at least 20 tackles twice — in 2022 and 2024 — and became known for an 8-yard fumble return against South Carolina that went viral.
The Desmond Watson legacy game 🐊
Buccaneers Need Interior DL Help Right Now
The Buccaneers are in desperate need of help on the interior defensive line after 2023 first round pick Calijah Kancey suffered a season ending torn pec in a Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.
In 2023, Kancey missed 3 games due to a calf strain. In 2024, Kancey led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks despite missing 5 games due to a calf injury, with 6.5 sacks over the final 9 games of the regular season. Through his first 2 seasons, Kancey has 11.5 sacks.
Buccaneers Take Another Look at 6-foot-5, 464-Pound Defensive Tackle