Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Prized Rookie Was Not Allowed To Play In Preseason Opener Because He’s “Too Fat”

Desmond Watson’s path to the NFL is not going according to plan.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened their preseason with a convincing 29-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans . Watson did not play and will not be able to play until he gets his weight under control.

Weeks into training camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ undrafted rookie defensive tackle may already be running out of time.

The rookie defensive lineman weighed 464 pounds at the 2025 NFL Combine , setting the record as the heaviest NFL player to turn professional.

The Tampa Bay Bucs are not thrilled with his size.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that Desmond Watson has been placed on the non-football injury list heading into training camp. The head coach emphasizes that he needs to drop weight before joining full-te