The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a chance in signing the 450+ pound Desmond Watson as an undrafted free agent this offseason, but alas, that gamble did not pay off.
Watson, believed to weigh 449 pounds currently, was cut before Tuesday’s 3 PM EST deadline, when teams must trim their rosters to 53 players.
“Bucs are waiving rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson, who had been on the non-football illness list all of training camp,” Fox’s Greg Auman wrote on X. “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 had worked to get his weight down all camp, but did not meet the required weight to participate in practice.
“It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said last month. “That’s kind of where I’m at right now. He’s working at it, and we’re working with him, and that’s all you can ask right now.”
Watson played his college ball at Florida, where he put up 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The historically large rookie still has a chance to make the Bucs practice squad if he clears waivers.
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