Florida Gators' 449-pound rookie gets tough update before Bucs training camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will officially hit the practice fields to begin training camp on Wednesday. Veterans and rookies reported earlier this week as the Buccaneers put their focus squarely on the preseason.

Entering camp, the franchise won't be at full strength. Earlier today, Tampa Bay announced that five players will start the period on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list; wide receiver Chris Godwin, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, quarterback Michael Pratt, offensive tackle Silas Dzansi, and guard Sua Opeta.

The Buccaneers also placed promising rookie defensive lineman Desmond Watson on the non-football illness list, per FOX Sports' Greg Auman. Watson still counts against the 90-man roster.

It's unclear exactly what specific ailment he's dealing with. This could be something that resolves itself quickly or lingers around as the preseason progresses.

Bucs are placing rookie DT Desmond Watson on the non-football illness list as training camp begins.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 22, 2025

Watson has been in the process of dropping weight since signing with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. In April, his high school coach informed the Tampa Bay Times that Watson had trimmed from 464 pounds to 437 pounds.

As things currently stand, the team lists Watson at 449 pounds on its online roster.

Watson will be battling for a spot on the active roster or practice squad over the next few weeks.

Head coach Todd Bowles previously stated that the Buccaneers have Watson on a plan to keep him in shape. His conditioning is likely going to be the biggest factor in sticking with Tampa Bay.

"He's got to make the team first all of all," Bowles said in May. "Right now, we just got to see how long he can stay on the field and put him on a program where we think he can make some progress. I think that's the biggest thing for us to do right now. We didn't get him and say, 'hey, we've got to put you on the field right now.'"

"It's, 'hey, we can try to put you on this program and see what we can come up with and see if we can get our endurance better' and have him become a better player that way and then kind of see where he is," Bowles added. "So to judge him right now is very early. We didn't get him for the tush push, we got him because we really thought he could play. It's just a matter of getting up to a point where he can play more than 2-3 plays a drive."

Watson spent his college career in Gainesville with the Florida Gators. He appeared in 51 games and made ten starts over his four seasons, recording 63 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass deflection. Watson never missed a game during his time with the program.

The Buccaneers signed Watson to a three-year/$2.985 million deal with a $20,000 signing bonus and $70,000 guaranteed, per Spotrac.

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