Desmond Watson, heaviest player in NFL history at 449 pounds, waived by Buccaneers, per report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are waiving undrafted rookie defensive lineman Desmond Watson, per Fox Sports' Greg Auman. The 449-pound Watson spent training camp on the non-football injury list as he tried to shed weight.

The Buccaneers signed Watson out of Florida, and the rookie did well to drop at least some weight from the 464 pounds he played at in college. When Watson went undrafted, Tampa Bay decided to take a shot on the 6-foot-4 defensive tackle hoping he could develop into an imposing presence in the middle.

Earlier in training camp, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles explained the decision to place Watson on the NFI list.

"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. "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."

Shortly after the draft, Watson explained that he didn't want be known simply for his weight. He wanted to carve out a legacy as a good football player at the next level.

"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."

Watson will not be going to Tampa's practice squad for now, per Auman, so the undrafted rookie will turn his attention to opportunities with other teams as roster cuts continue across the league. If Watson does make a roster somewhere, he could become the heaviest player ever to play in an NFL game.