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Buccaneers Waive DT Desmond Watson Before 53-Man Deadline

Tampa Bay cited unmet conditioning milestones set during camp.

Overview

  • Watson spent all of training camp on the active/non-football illness list due to weight and conditioning concerns and logged no practice or preseason snaps.
  • General manager Jason Licht previously outlined specific benchmarks for Watson to reach before practicing, and the team chose waivers over moving him to reserve-NFI.
  • He is on waivers and not expected to join the Buccaneers' practice squad immediately, leaving open the possibility of a claim or a deal elsewhere if he clears.
  • The undrafted rookie from Florida was officially listed at about 449 pounds with Tampa Bay after weighing 464 at his pro day, where he also posted 36 bench reps and a sub-6.0 40-yard dash.
  • Watson took part in rookie and mandatory minicamps earlier in the offseason, and his agent said he remains focused on continuing his NFL pursuit.