The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson in with the idea that, just maybe, they might make history if things went right.
Instead, the 6-foot-5, 464-pound undrafted free agent never even took a practice snap in his short time with the team and his bid to become the heaviest player to take the field in NFL history after he was released on August 25.
Watson had been 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.
“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 Yo-Yo Weight Journey Held Him Back
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 heaviest player in NFL history is offensive tackle Aaron Gibson, a first round pick (No. 27 overall) by the Detroit Lions in the 1999 NFL draft who played at 6-foot-6 and 410 pounds at one point in his 6-year NFL career.
Projected To Make Bucs 53-Man Roster At One Point
At one point during the preseason, Watson was even being predicted to make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster.
ESPN’s 53-man roster prediction for the Buccaneers right before training camp included Watson among the 6 interior defensive linemen who made the team.
“The former Florida Gator signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent this offseason and became the heaviest player in NFL history — with him being listed at 449 pounds at 6-foot-6,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine wrote on July 22. “Their plans for him are very general at this point: Get him to a healthy playing weight and ensure he can stay there before carving out any type of role.”
While the Buccaneers won’t have the heaviest player in NFL history on their roster to start the season, they will likely have the lightest as 2025 seventh round pick Tez Johnson, 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, is projected to make the roster.
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