Buccaneers sign DT Desmond Watson to practice squad after meeting conditioning requirements

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0) have signed rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson to their practice squad, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Watson, who signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Florida, was waived in late August.

Watson spent the entirety of training camp on the non-football illness list. Tampa Bay asked Watson, who weighed in at 464 pounds during his Florida Pro Day workout, to get his weight down before they would clear him to practice during training camp. The Buccaneers’ website had Watson listed at 449 pounds. The team could have moved him to the reserve/non-football injury list, but they instead chose to cut him outright.

Watson had a workout with the team this past Friday and met the organization’s requirements. Head coach Todd Bowles left the door open for Watson to return if he continued to work on his conditioning.

“We were in the last week of camp,” Bowles said after Watson’s release. “When you’re in the last week of camp and the last preseason game and you’re not going to practice, you’re surely not going to play. I don’t know what close means. A week? A month? When you don’t practice, you’re probably not going to make this team. An old saying, ‘You can’t make the club in the tub.’

“We’ll circle back. He’s been working hard. I think he’s going to continue to work hard. We had a long talk and good communication, we’ll circle back and see where he’s at.”

Buccaneers bring back massive DT Desmond Watson

Watson proved to be an asset to the Gators during his four-year collegiate career. He logged 64 tackles and 1.5 sacks while never missing a game. He played 51 games at Florida, including 10 starts. A Plant City native, Watson played high school football at nearby Armwood High School.

The timing of the signing is interesting. The Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) in Week 4 on Sunday. Now, just imagine the visual of Philadelphia lining up for the “Tush Push” against Watson and the 347-pound Vita Vea. That’s a lot of big bodies, yes, but that’s not why Watson is back in Tampa Bay.

“We’ll never bring him in just to stop the Tush Push,” Bowles said Monday. “If we’ve got to bring a guy in just to stop one play and the Tush Push never comes up, you’re wasting your time.

“So, if we bring him in, we think he can play and not just for a Philadelphia thing and it’s very unlikely to play once we bring him in for Philadelphia right now anyway. So, you know, it’s just a matter of us making room if we have a place for him and what we see for him in the future.”