Buccaneers waiving 450-pound rookie Desmond Watson after failing to lose weight

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are waiving rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Watson, an undrafted free agent pickup, had been on the Non-Football Illness list throughout training camp.

Tampa Bay had 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’ll instead cut him outright. Watson is currently not a candidate to come back to the practice squad should he clear waivers, according to Auman.

Earlier this month, manager Jason Licht said there were “milestones” Watson needed to reach to get on the practice field: “We have some milestones we want him to hit before we get him out there. He’s doing a solid job getting there. That’s all I’ll say.”

Clearly, those weren’t met. Head coach Todd Bowles expressed interest last week in keeping Watson around.

“I’d like to have some long-term plans for him going forward because he’s making some progress and I feel like down the line he can help us, but we’ll have those conversations toward the end of the week,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.

Buccaneers moving on from Desmond Watson

The Buccaneers signed Watson shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft. He received a $20,000 bonus when he signed, with $50,000 guaranteed to his deal. He’s strong, having completed 36 reps on the bench — more than any other player at the NFL Combine — and he ran a 5.93-second 40-yard dash. Despite his size, he recorded a 25-inch vertical jump.

He proved to be an asset to Gators during his four-year collegiate career. He logged 64 tackles and 1.5 sacks while never missing a game. He played 51 games as a Gator, including 10 starts.