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NFL's Heaviest Player Ever Is Benched for Now

Desmond Watson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, listed at 449 pounds, has to slim down
Posted Jul 27, 2025 7:14 AM CDT
NFL's Heaviest Player Is Benched Until He Slims Down
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Desmond Watson watches from the sideline during practice at NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.   (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Desmond Watson has a unique claim to fame in the league—his listed weight of 449 pounds makes him the NFL's heaviest player, reports USA Today. The problem is that the weight is also keeping him sidelined from the team's practices. Coach Todd Bowles says Watson—a 6-foot-6 defensive tackle— is on the team's "non-football" injury list and listed as day to day.

"It's just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more," Bowles said this week, per the AP. "That's kind of where I'm at right now. He's working at it and we're working with him and that's all you can ask right now." Watson, who played at Florida, weighed more than 460 pounds his senior year but dropped some weight ahead of the NFL draft. The Bucs signed him after he went undrafted.

Heavyweights aren't uncommon in the NFL. Former tackle Aaron Gibson, who suited up for the Lions, Cowboys, and Bears, once hit 410 pounds. Nate Newton, another ex-Cowboy, peaked at 401. But Watson tops them all, at least for the moment.

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