The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made numerous moves to cut down their roster to 53 players. The most notable names included rookie safety Shilo Sanders, who still remains a free agent, and wide receiver Trey Palmer, who was claimed by the rival New Orleans Saints. One player who was among the roster cuts was rookie defensive lineman Desmond Watson.
Watson was signed as an undrafted free agent after spending his collegiate career at the University of Florida. Watson was a fan favorite in his Gators career, due in part to his ability to eliminate opposing running games by lining up as a defensive tackle. As a senior, Watson stood at 6-foot-5 and weighed 449 pounds. His time with the Buccaneers wasn't impactful, as he spent most of his time standing on the side during training camp, as the team wanted him to work on his conditioning.
On Wednesday, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco criticized the Buccaneers for not allowing Watson to play at his size, considering he did so at Florida, during his show Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe.
Ocho pushes back on Bucs cutting Desmond Watson after sidelining him for conditioning@ShannonSharpe @ochocinco @ShayShayMedia_ #NightcapShow pic.twitter.com/ls9bYEDhEh
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) August 27, 2025
Chad Ochocinco criticizes Buccaneers for not allowing Desmond Watson to play before release
It's important to note that the Buccaneers didn't draft Watson, but Ochocinco's point remains that they didn't allow him to practice during training camp or play some snaps in the preseason. That was the main criticism, with both Ochocinco and Sharpe both mentioning that Watson was spotted walking around on the side during training camp practices and carrying away tackling dummies.
Ochocinco was taken aback by Sharpe mentioning that Watson was 450-pounds, but asked why the Buccaneers signed him if they knew that and refused to let him practice and get in some reps.
As mentioned earlier, Watson played at that size during his time at Florida. In 51 games with the team, Watson recorded 63 combined tackles (19 solo, 44 assisted), four tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Additionally, Watson recorded 41 defensive stops and 12 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ultimately, the Buccaneers opted to move on and never brought Watson back on the practice squad. It will be interesting if any team will give him the chance to play at the NFL level any time soon.