The biggest stories around the NFL this week were rookies signing deals and participating in minicamps, but none were bigger (literally) than Desmond Watson’s signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The defensive tackle out of Florida signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent, and at 464 pounds (as he weighed in at Florida’s Pro Day) he became the heaviest player in NFL history. Watson’s size has been a story ever since he was with the Gators, but he proved there to be a disruptive force in the middle of the line and not just some novelty act.
As he moves to the NFL, he knows he will deal with another round of weight discourse, headlines and memes as NFL fans get introduced to him. But having gone through that once at Florida, he’s prepared for all that comes with it. As he explained to Buccaneers.com, his focus is on becoming known for what he does on the field, not the number that pops up on the scale.
“I feel like my name is etched in history, of course, as the official heaviest player in the NFL, or whatnot,” Watson said. “It’s a good story; at the same time I don’t want it to be my narrative. I want to be known as a football player, and a good football player at that. But it’s nice to be able to make history…I guess again because I did it in college, too. It’s nice to be able to make history but all in all, I am a football player and I want to be known as a good one. So it’s just a process that comes with it, I guess.”
While the rest of the league debates whether to ban the Tush Push, Watson may be hoping it stays around as he’s been dubbed the “Tush Push Terminator.” Either way, if there were ever a team that could figure out how to utilize the biggest player in NFL history, it should be the Bucs, who have built their defense in part around having Vita Vea blowing up offensive fronts and wreaking havoc from his nose tackle spot.
Watson isn’t the kind of explosive athlete Vea is, but he certainly has the strength and size to pose problems for opposing offensive lines. If he can prove in camp that there’s a way to leverage that in certain situations to their advantage, particularly goal line and short yardage situations (Tush Push or not), he could get his chance to make a name for himself in Tampa beyond being the answer to a trivia question.
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