Desmond Watson Re-Signs With Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You know that feeling when you’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet and you just can’t help but go back for one more plate? That’s right, the Bucs are bringing back the human mountain, Desmond Watson, signing him to their practice squad.

Let’s not bury the lede here. This is the same Watson who made jaws drop and scales cry when he weighed in at a staggering 464 pounds at his Florida pro day. To put that in perspective, that’s like trying to tackle two Baker Mayfields stacked on top of each other. After going undrafted, the Bucs picked him up, gave him a target weight that remains more secretive than the Colonel’s recipe, and then waived him last month.

But like a boomerang made of granite, Watson is back. He had a workout last week that apparently impressed the coaching staff enough to give him another shot.

What Watson Brings To the Buccaneers’ Defense

So, what changed? While the team is keeping his current weight under wraps, one can assume Watson has made some serious progress. Coach Todd Bowles was quick to shut down the idea that this was just a gimmick to stop the Eagles’ infamous “tush push.”

“We’ll never bring him in just to stop a tush push,” Bowles said, probably while picturing a 400-pound man plugging a gap the size of a garage door. “If we bring him in, we think he can play.”

And they need guys who can play. With first-round pick Calijah Kancey out for the season with a torn pec, the Bucs’ defensive interior has a massive hole. Signing Watson is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move. Best case scenario? He becomes an immovable object in the middle of that D-line, a guy who eats up double-teams for breakfast and still has room for the quarterback for lunch.

The Watson Watch: What’s Next?

Let’s be real, the journey for Watson is far from over. He’s on the practice squad, which is the NFL’s version of being in the “friend zone.” He’s got to prove he can hang, that his conditioning is up to par, and that he’s more than just a viral weigh-in video.

But there’s something undeniably exciting about a player like Watson. He’s an anomaly, a throwback to a time of larger-than-life gridiron gladiators. Every football fan, whether they admit it or not, has a soft spot for a big guy who can move. Remember “The Refrigerator” Perry? Watson makes him look like a mini-fridge.

For now, all eyes are on Watson. Can he turn this second chance into a legitimate NFL career? The Bucs are betting on it, and frankly, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun to watch.