The Detroit Lions announced on Tuesday they have re-signed defensive lineman Pat O’Connor. Originally a Lions seventh-round pick in 2017, O’Connor returned to Detroit last year after spending seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
O’Connor, 31, signed with Detroit in the middle of training camp last season, and while he didn’t make the original 53-man roster, it didn’t take long for him to find his way onto the active gameday roster. In Week 7, he would get the bump from the practice squad, and he would play a significant role in each of the 12 remaining games of the regular season, before suffering an injury in the finale. He finished the year with 18 tackles, 1.0 sacks, and two tackles for loss.
O’Connor’s best attribute for Detroit was his versatility. While he’s traditionally known as a defensive end, he stepped in and played some nose tackle for the Lions last year after they lost Kyle Peko to injury against the Cowboys.
“The guys love him. I love him,” former Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams said. “I mean, he works his butt off. He does a good job on special teams, but more than anything, the position flexibility. Like, he can play nose tackle, end.”
Williams is gone now, but he has been replaced by Kacey Rodgers, who is more than familiar with O’Connor’s game. Rodgers was O’Connor’s position coach from 2019 to 2023.
O’Connor is the latest of several Lions defensive linemen to re-sign in Detroit, including Marcus Davenport, Mitchell Agude, Myles Adams, and Levi Onwuzurike.
