The NFL is a league where every ounce of performance matters, and unfortunately for Desmond Watson, it looks like his story with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is ending before it ever really began. Multiple reports say the Bucs will waive the mammoth defensive tackle—the heaviest player in the league—ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline.
Watson, who played his college ball at Florida, entered the league as an undrafted free agent this spring. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at a staggering 464 pounds at his pro day in April, he became something of a curiosity for scouts and fans alike.
The buzz was real: could someone that massive actually carve out a role clogging the middle of an NFL defense?
Watson shed 25 to 30 pounds before the draft and kept working with a nutritionist once he landed in Tampa. But the progress wasn’t enough. He opened training camp on the non-football injury list and never got on the practice field. In a league where conditioning and availability are non-negotiable, that left the Buccaneers little choice.
His agent, EJ Gonzalez, tried to keep hope alive, telling the Associated Press, “He’s still working. Job’s not finished.” But with the Bucs making final cuts, patience has run out.
Watson himself has been candid about the battle with his weight, admitting to reporters that fast food stops and snack runs became routine during his Florida days. At his pro day, he joked about the small adjustments that make a big difference:
“Stopping while driving. My biggest thing is keep going, get to where I need to get. There are stores and a lot of temptations. Don’t go inside the gas station. Pay at the pump. Because inside it’s snacks and all types of things like that. Don’t pull over. If you’re on the highway, stay on the highway until you get where you’ve got to go.”
It’s a surprisingly human window into a problem many athletes face—how to fight habits that undermine all the hard work on the field and in the weight room.
For Watson, the dream isn’t necessarily over. Players his size are rare, and if he can continue to slim down while maintaining his raw strength, another team might take a chance. But for now, Tampa Bay is moving on.
