Desmond Watson and Vita Vea are already the most feared duo in the NFL: 784 pounds to stop the Tush Push

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have formed one of the NFL's most physically imposing defensive tackle pairings by g Desmond Watson alongside Vita Vea to form a 784-pound wall, one that could shut down the Philadelphia Eagles' infamous "Tush Push."

The Tush Push is a short-yardage power plays aiming to drive Jalen Hurts into the end zone by using the offensive line as a battering ram against rival defenses, and it has proven highly effective with an 82% success rate (39) since becoming popular.

A key part of the Eagles' offensive arsenal, it is one of the reasons why they managed to reach Super Bowl LIX in the 2024/25 NFL season; where they subsequently demolished the Kansas City Chiefs by a 40-22 score.

So, with teams at a loss to stop it more often than not, have the Buccs managed to find a solution through the 464lbs Watson, who is officially the heaviest player in the history of the sport?

Born in Plant City, the 6ft6in defensive tackle played for the Florida Gators but went undrafted in April. However, Tampa Bay wasted no time taking him into their pool in free agency.

One of the key attractions of Watson's g is his potential to reinforce Tampa Bay's interior run defense. The idea of pairing Watson with Vea-who himself weighs 347 pounds and has refined his physical conditioning in recent seasons-has already intrigued general manager Jason Licht.

"Big Desmond? Supposedly he's lost quite a bit of weight already," Licht said on the Rich Eisen Show. "So he's over 400 pounds. He's a of a player. He was a top recruit outside of Tampa here in high school at Armwood High School.

"He hasn't missed any time at Florida and he's a pretty good athlete. He's hard to run at I'll tell you that."

Whilst Vea, now entering his eighth NFL season, had one of his best years in 2023 after intense off-season work with former teammate Ndamukong Suh. Vea missed only one game and posted a career-high seven sacks, earning a second Pro Bowl selection.

So, could he and Watson hold the key to earning the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a first victory over the Eagles since the 2023 Wild Card game? They're due to meet on the field in 2025/26.

Watson cutting down the weight

Though his size has made headlines, Watson understands that sustaining an NFL career will require slimming down. He has already dropped close to 30 pounds, weighing in at 437 pounds last week, and plans to continue that progress.

While Watson hasn't set a firm goal weight, Bucs officials are aiming for 400 pounds, a weight they believe balances power with improved conditioning and agility for the man on a contract with a $20,000 g bonus and $50,000 in guaranteed money.