Overview

• The Buccaneers worked out former Florida defensive tackle Desmond Watson on September 19, according to beat reporter Rick Stroud, and no contract was signed.
• Watson signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in April but spent camp on the non-football illness list and was waived on August 25.
• His NFI status centered on team-set weight and conditioning milestones that kept him out of padded practices and preseason action.
• Head coach Todd Bowles has framed the priority as getting Watson healthier, saying the goal is to make him a more conditioned player.
• Renewed evaluation comes as Tampa Bay seeks interior defensive-line help following Calijah Kancey’s season-ending pectoral injury, with Watson’s unusual pro-day metrics—36 bench reps at 225 pounds and a sub-6.0 40-yard dash at roughly 464 pounds—keeping interest alive.