Desmond Watson is back with the Buccaneers — and in better shape than ever.
On Tuesday, Tampa Bay signed the 400-plus-pound DT to its practice squad after meeting the team’s fitness requirements, per Fox Sports.
Tampa Bay welcomed Watson, 22, for a “good workout” last week, where he impressed the team with his physical progress.
Head coach Todd Bowles expressed his confidence in Watson, emphasizing his signing was more than a means of stopping the tush push in the team’s upcoming matchup against the Eagles on Sunday.
“We’ll never bring him in just to stop a tush push,” Bowles told reporters Monday, adding, “If we bring him in, we think he can play, not just for a Philadelphia thing. It’s very unlikely he’d be ready to play, once we bring him in, for Philadelphia right now anyway.”
A former lineman with the University of Florida, Watson was initially brought in by the Buccaneers after going undrafted in April.
At 6-foot-6 and 464 pounds on his school’s pro day, he was on track to become the heaviest player in NFL history. Even so, he boasted a 5.86-second 40-yard dash and a 25-inch vertical.
Watson spent training camp on the non-football illness list and was held out of practice, instead focusing on nutrition and conditioning in an effort to cut down to a better playing weight.
He made it down to an official weight of 449 pounds — ESPN reported — before ultimately getting waived ahead of roster cuts on Aug. 25.
A week before the decision to cut him, Bowles lauded Watson’s potential and expressed interest in keeping him around “long-term” — a remark that left the door open for an eventual reunion.
Underdog is where football fans become winners.
Use promo code NYPOST5 to get $50 in site credits when you play $5!
Watson’s current weight is not known, but should he suit up, he’d likely still make league history with his size.
Offensive tackle Aaron Gibson currently owns the record for the heaviest player to play in an NFL game at 410 pounds. No active player exceeds the 400-pound threshold.