Desmond Watson made it back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They had set checkpoints for the defensive tackle who came out of Florida at 464 pounds, and at the end of the preseason, they cut him. The implication was that Watson hadn't reached the goals.
But before Week 4, the Bucs signed Watson to the practice squad after having him in for a workout. The new implication: He had reached whatever numbers the Bucs wanted him to reach.
Watson spoke with Pewter Report about his weight loss journey, although he didn't want to disclose a new number.
“I’m proud of it,” Watson said. “It’s a good number – obviously good enough to be signed back. I don’t want to say a specific number, but it’s been enough to obviously get signed back. I’m blessed.”
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There was some speculation that Watson's signing would coincide with him being active for that Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and their dominant tush push. But Watson hasn't yet been called up from the practice squad.
Watson wasn't used to being away from a football team for a few weeks, so he's glad to be back.
“That was the longest I’ve had without practicing against people since I was like 7 years old,” Watson said. “That was tough. It was definitely an adjustment, but it feels great to practice now. I feel blessed to be able to help this organization any way possible, so getting back into it, it feels great.”
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The Buccaneers are off to a great start to the season, and with a defensive line leader like Vita Vea, the 6-foot-6 Watson has plenty of people to look up to as he tries to learn what it means to belong in the NFL.
Tampa Bay clearly likes him, because they've kept giving him chances. It's now up to Watson to seize the opportunity and make a career out of his time in the NFL.
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