Buccaneers place 450-pound rookie Desmond Watson on non-football illness list due to weight

by: Barkley Truax • 48 minutes ago • BarkleyTruax

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Desmond Watson has been placed on the non-football illness list to begin training camp as the rookie looks to hit an undisclosed weight goal set by the team. In other words, he can’t practice until he loses weight.

Instead of practicing with the rest of the team on Wednesday, Watson remained off to the side while working with a trainer. He reportedly did 30 minutes of cardio. Watson weighed in at 464 pounds at Florida ‘s pro day in March, but appears to be down roughly 30 pounds since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent earlier this offseason.

“I’m pleased. It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player on the field,” head coach Todd Bowles said of Watson’s progress, via the Tampa Bay Times . ”That’s kind of where I’m at right now. He’s working at it and we’re working with him and that’s all you can ask of him for right now.”

Watson still has over a month to shed the additional weight before the season starts. Bowles indicated that Watson could be an interesting piece to their roster once he’s able to return to football.

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

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