Tampa Bay Buccaneers make huge decision on Desmond Watson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut massive Florida Gators defensive tackle Desmond Watson at the end of training camp, where he didn't even practice on the non-football injury list — now, though, he's back in Tampa Bay, and he's ready to play some football.

Watson, who weighed in at 464 pounds at the NFL Combine, was tasked with losing weight by the Bucs before he could practice during training camp. He never hit that weight goal during the offseason, so he was released, but the Bucs brought him in for a workout last week at One Buccaneer Place.

It seems like he's hit that goal the Bucs were looking for. According to FOX Sports' Greg Auman, the Bucs didn't just sign Watson to the practice squad on Tuesday, but they've given him the green light to start practicing with the team.

Bucs are signing former Gators DT Desmond Watson to their practice squad. The massive prospect has met their requirements to get in shape and can now practice with the team. pic.twitter.com/qo1hFyTsw4
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 23, 2025

Desmond Watson ready to play for the Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Desmond Watson watches the action against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

It's unknown exactly how much weight Watson has lost at this point in time, but the Buccaneers must be satisfied with the number. He'll likely continue to lose that weight, but in the meantime, he'll prepare with the Buccaneers while they get set to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday for a Week 4 showdown.

Many fans have noted that Watson's size could help the Bucs defend the Eagles' patented "tush push" quarterback sneak, plugging up the middle with players like Vita Vea. Head coach Todd Bowles talked about Watson's potential signing on Monday, though, and when asked about his value in stopping that play, he mentioned that the Bucs wouldn't sign any player for just one purpose.

"He had a good workout. We'll see where he is for signing him from that standpoint, but we'll never bring him in just to stop a tush push. If we’ve got to bring in a guy to stop one play and the tush push never comes up, you're wasting your time," Bowles said. "If we bring him in, we think he can play, not just for a Philadelphia thing. It’s very unlikely he'd be ready to play, once we bring him in, for Philadelphia right now anyway. It's just a matter of us making room and seeing if we have a place for him, and then what we see for him in the future."

Even if he isn't ready to play right now, he'll still bring some value to the Bucs. The Bucs lost defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for all of the regular season, so the team brought in the similarly large Elijah Simmons from the Cardinals' practice squad. Now, they've brought in Watson to further bolster the unit.

The Bucs will face off against the Eagles at 1 p,m. on Sunday.

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