The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have opened the door just slightly for Desmond Watson.
The Bucs worked out the former Florida defensive tackle on Friday, according to beat reporter Rick Stroud. Watson came out of college at 464 pounds, although he's believed to have dropped some weight since then.
Tampa Bay hasn't signed Watson to a contract as of early Friday afternoon. But just the fact that they welcomed him back for a workout suggests that their intrigue in him hasn't died down.
Also worth noting: The Buccaneers play the Philadelphia Eagles and the tush push in Week 4. Watson was viewed as a potential neutralizer of that play.
The Bucs signed Watson immediately after April's draft, and he was with Tampa Bay all summer, although much of that was on the non-football injury/illness list, which prevented him from practicing or playing in the preseason.
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The Buccaneers wanted him to drop an undisclosed amount of weight, what they termed "milestones."
Reports at different points in the offseason indicated Watson was down to 450, 437 and 429, but it's not clear which of those had real merit.
Any of those would still be the heaviest weight a player has ever gotten into an NFL regular season game with.
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The Bucs waived Watson in the final week of August, seemingly without him reaching whatever mark they wanted.
But less than a month later, Watson had returned to the building for a workout. It's a sign that, at some point, there may be a return in the works, even if it's not immediate.
It's something worth tracking, because if things break the right way, Watson has a chance to make NFL history.
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