Desmond Watson may have a career in the NFL after all.
The 22-year-old defensive tackle out of Florida went undrafted in April but was later picked up as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after impressing at his pro day.
However, due to his 449 pound frame – having lost weight since his pro day when he was registered at 464 pounds – Watson was placed on the Bucs’ non-football injury list.
Instead, he was seen working out on the sidelines and doing laps of the field, not being able to pad up and get involved with Bucs practice as the team tried to get him in shape and conditioned to the standards needed to be able to be successful in the league.
Despite showcasing his athleticism in his pro day, Watson was subsequently waived on August 25, just one day before the NFL’s final 53-man roster cut, having never stepped foot on the field.
Not even signed to their practice squad, it looked that Watson’s pro football career had ended before it had even started.
However, he has since been handed a lifeline, with Tampa Bay reportedly having brought him back for a workout on Friday.
On Tuesday, Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed Watson was back, signed to the team’s practice squad.
With the Bucs set to play the reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, there is some speculation that he, along with fellow DT Via Vea, could be the key to stopping their signature Tush Push.
There were talks earlier on in the year that the NFL could look to ban the play after the Green Bay Packers submitted a rule change proposal.
The vote failed as the required 75 percent threshold against the controversial play was not met.
In the Eagles’ Week 2 Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Brotherly Shove once again dominated the headlines after replays showed that Eagles guards Landon Dickerson and Tyler Steen had moved early, though no false starts were called by the officials.
Watson has been handed an NFL lifeline after the Bucs gave him another workout with the team on FridayGetty Watson was a beast for the Florida Gators and made headlines back at the NFL Combine earlier this yearGetty Now 449lbs after losing some weight, Watson has been signed to the Bucs practice squadGettyThe Eagles went on to defeat Patrick Mahomes and co 20-17, leaving Kansas City 0-2 for the first time in their franchise quarterback’s career.
Philly went on to win the game, 29-27, thanks to 330lbs star Jordan Davis’ record-breaking touchdown in the final few seconds.
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Tyleik Williams spoke exclusively to talkSPORT’s Will Gavin about the controversial play.
“I’ve definitely seen the tush push before. It’s definitely a play that has a high success rate, but, hopefully we stop it,” Williams said.
“I’ve seen a bunch of teams like complain about it. They want to get it banned. I don’t think you need to do all that. I think you just need to blow up and just stop it.”
Gavin responded by talking about Bucs tackle Vita Vea – who weighs 117 pounds less than Watson – stating that he set the standard on how to stop the controversial play.
“Vita Vea showed everyone how to do it,” he responded to Williams. “If you get underneath those guys early, then you can get that leverage and you can stop them. It’s just that there’s not a lot of Vita Vea’s in the NFL, unfortunately.”
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FOX Sports writer Greg Auman previously confirmed that the Bucs were considering signing Watson to their practice squad in the next week having been impressed by his progress to shed weight over the last month.
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Should he make the active roster, he would instantly become the heaviest player in NFL history, the last being offensive lineman Aaron Gibson for the Chicago Bears back in 2002 who weighed 410 pounds.
If Vea and Watson were to eventually see the field together, they would easily become the heaviest defensive tackle pairing in NFL history with a combined 800-plus pounds.
That could be the formula to stop the Tush Push, and may be why the Bucs are thinking of adding him to the roster.
However, the Tush Push was once again dominating NFL discourse during the Eagles’ thrilling 29-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, a game capped off by a giant setting the fastest speed ever by 300lb NFL star.
The league’s intentions to officiate the Brotherly Shove more rigorously last all of eight minutes, when Philly got away with another blatant false start on a Tush Push which wasn’t called.
They didn’t score but Hurts went crashing over the goal line the very next play after running it again.
Fans — and the Bucs — will be hoping officials crack down on the controversial play in Week 4.
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