The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew what they were getting by drafting Desmond Watson.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 464lbs on his pro day in March, the rookie defensive tackle out of Florida is the heaviest player in NFL history.
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Watson was signed by the Buccaneers after going undrafted in April, but has already run into trouble with his new team.
The 22-year-old, who lost 25 to 30lb before entering the league, understood that he would need to cut even more weight to have a chance of playing in the pros.
But despite the progress he has already made, Watson opened training camp on the non-football injury list.
While it’s not clear how much more weight Tampa Bay would like to see him lose, the young defensive lineman has been seen walking laps around the practice field in 95F (35C) weather.
He has also been seen just watching his fellow defensive linemen go through drills, as he is forced to watch, unable to participate.
According to reports, he has been asked to do 10 laps without stopping, and on Monday, footage showed Watson walking across the field without his pads on.
Watson has also been working with a team nutritionist in an attempt to get ‘healthier’.
“It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said last week, after Watson was placed on the NFI list.
“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.”
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As it stands, Watson’s chances of making Tampa Bay’s final 53-man roster appear relatively long, given he is yet to suit up in training camp drills.
But if he does make the cut, Watson could make NFL history as the heaviest person to play in a game.
Who are the NFL’s heaviest players?
No current player tops 400lbs, with Baltimore Ravens guard Daniel Faalele the heaviest in 2024, weighing in at 380lbs.
There have, though, been a few stars who have played heavier in years gone by.
Aaron Gibson, a first-round draft pick by Detroit in 1999, weighed 410lbs. He started 15 games for the Lions before getting waived in the middle of his third season.
He also played with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears before getting one final shot in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, where he was cut near the end of training camp.
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Terrell Brown, who stood at 6-foot-10 and weighed 403lbs, signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted rookie in 2013.
He arrived 15lbs heavier than the then-Rams coach Jeff Fisher expected, and while the Mississippi prospect shed some weight during camp, he didn’t make the team.
Nate Newton, who was one of the most dominant guards of the 1990s, joined the Cowboys when he weighed 401lbs.
He famously lost a footrace with legendary Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson, which pushed him to get into better shape.
Newton went on to make six Pro Bowls while blocking for Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman, and helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls.
Rookie Watson would certainly love a career like that, but unless he loses a significant amount of weight, he may not make the cut with the Buccaneers.
He could be a useful asset in the current NFL climate, though.
Why have the Bucs signed Watson?
Analysis suggests Watson will be useful defending on critical fourth-and-1 plays.
The NFL saw a record 71.5% fourth-and-1 conversion rate in 2024, and some of that was due to the opinion-splitting ‘tush push’ play run by the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Watson has previously been dubbed ‘the tush push terminator’ for his ability to stuff the line of scrimmage, but Bowles has insisted the young player could offer much more.
“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,” the Bucs coach said in May.
“It’s just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays (per drive).”
Running laps, especially in the brutal Florida heat, will no doubt help Watson get into the shape he needs to have a chance of making the roster.
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And once he has shed some weight, he will hope to be in pads sooner rather than later.
“I feel like my name is etched in history, of course, as being the official heaviest player in the NFL,” Watson said back in May.
“It’s a good story, but at the same time, I don’t want that to be my narrative and things like that.
“I want to be known as a football player, and a good football player at that.
“But it is nice to be able to make history, I guess.”
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