August 1, 2025
‘It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more,’ head coach Todd Bowles said.
Desmond Watson, an undrafted NFL player who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April, weighed 464 pounds earlier this year, and even though he has lost a couple of pounds since then, the team has placed him on the non-football injury list because of his weight.
According to The Associated Press, the 6-foot-6 rookie defensive tackle is the heaviest player in the NFL, and the team is working with him to bring his weight down to a comfortable playing level. He went to the University of Florida for his collegiate career, and Tampa Bay’s head coach, Todd Bowles, wants to give him more time to get healthier so he can get on the field for the Buccaneers.
“It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more,” Bowles said. “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 has been focusing on his weight loss and is currently working with a team nutritionist; however, there is no confirmation as to what the team’s target weight is for him to consider, which would allow him to play for the franchise.
“I don’t have a timetable on what we can get him down to or when that comes,” Bowles said. “He’s from Armwood, he went to Florida, so he’s used to the heat. That’s not a big factor in it. We’ve just got to see what happens.”
It was recently reported that the Bucs have told the defensive player that he has to run 10 laps, even in the brutal heat of Tampa Bay.
The team seems to have confidence in his playing abilities, but also wants to monitor his health.
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