Desmond Watson fought long and hard for a spot on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster to fulfill his NFL dream, but now he has to find a new team. His record weight ultimately proved to be his undoing.

It was the story after the 2025 NFL Draft: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Desmond Watson, the heaviest player in league history – the defensive tackle weighed an incredible 210 kilograms.

But now the NFL dream is over for the time being. As a result of the roster cuts to 53 players, Watson was released. What made it particularly bitter was that the defender was not even able to prove himself in training with the Buccaneers because his weight got in the way. The Bucs coaches had Watson train individually.

NFL roster cuts also at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The team even put him on the “non-football illness list” because of his excess weight. He was supposed to focus solely on losing weight.

At the start of training camp, head coach Todd Bowles explained the approach as follows: “It’s simply about making him a better, healthier player and getting him on the field.” However, Bowles did not publicly disclose a specific target weight or deadline.

According to media reports, Watson reduced his weight to around 198 kilograms – but that wasn’t enough for the Bucs.

Desmond Watson continues to dream of the NFL

To put the weight into perspective: Before Watson, the heaviest players ever drafted in NFL history were offensive linemen Trent Brown and Daniel Faalele, who weighed 172 kilograms.

At college with the Florida Gators, the defensive tackle impressed despite, or perhaps because of, his weight: he didn’t miss a game in four years and racked up 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

After the draft, Watson signed a three-million-dollar contract with Tampa Bay, of which only $70,000 was guaranteed. But giving up is not an option now. “He’s continuing to work on himself,” his agent EJ Gonzales told the Associated Press: “The job isn’t done yet.”