BroBible
Former Florida tackle Desmond Watson would firmly be the heaviest player to appear in an NFL game if the man who weighed 464 pounds at the combine earns the right to play this season. The Buccaneers gave him a chance to make the roster, but he’ll be facing an uphill battle based on the fairly disrespectful designation he received after arriving for training camp.
You need to be an Absolute Unit if you’re going to make a living as a lineman in the NFL, as the guys tasked with getting down and dirty in the trenches tend to be truly massive human beings who boast an amount of strength most people can only dream of.
The Big Uglies might not look like physical specimens at first glance, as the nature of that job requires them to cultivate a ton of muscle that’s usually lurking under a fair amount of body fat that tends to accompany a brutal physical regimen that also requires them to consume an insane amount of calories to fuel that grind.
As things currently stand, retired offensive tackle Aaron Gibson has the distinction of being the heaviest NFL player to ever take a snap in a regular season game, as he was officially listed at 410 pounds during his time with the Cowboys in 2002.
Desmond Watson may have the chance to break that record at some point in the near future, but he still has some work to do if the team that signed him out of college is going to give him a shot.
Watson tipped the scale at 440 pounds when he headed to the University of Florida, and while he’d slimmed down to 400 lbs. by the time his freshman season got underway, he was back to 464 when he kicked off training camp ahead of his final campaign with the Gators in 2024.
That was the number that was recorded when the 6’5″ defensive tackle headed to the NFL Combine earlier this year, and he ultimately found himself without a home when the NFL Draft wrapped up. However, he was able to land a deal with the Buccaneers that included a $20,000 signing bonus and $50,000 in guaranteed money.
Tampa Bay officially kicked off training camp on Wednesday, and Watson began his tenure with the team on the non-football illness list—a designation head coach Todd Bowles says stems from his weight.
WATCH: “It’s just about trying to get him better to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more.”
Bucs DT Desmond Watson is on the non-football illness list to start camp. He is day-to-day.
They hope he loses some weight. The roster says he is 449 pounds. pic.twitter.com/aNO2DOSyzH
— Mark Skol, Jr. (@markskoljrTV) July 23, 2025
It’s unclear if Bowles and the Bucs have a target weight in mind for Watson, although...
