TAMPA, Fla. — Defensive lineman Pat O'Connor is back on the Bucs.
The team on Tuesday announced that O'Connor would be returning for a fifth season in Tampa Bay after he became the equivalent of an unrestricted free agent in March.
The Chicago native has played 40 games with the Buccaneers from 2017 to 2021, putting down eight tackles, four quarterback hits and one and a half sacks. The Buccaneers also tout him as a "core contributor" on special teams, where he has six tackles and one blocked punt, which he recovered.
Bucs fans missed out on seeing #79 on the field for the last three games of the 2021 season due to a knee injury. Still, he led all Buccaneers players with 344 special teams snaps.
O'Connor was originally a seventh-round draft pick for the Detroit Lions in 2017 before joining the Bucs in October of his rookie season. He played in three games that season and then returned to the practice squad until 2019. Over the past two seasons, O'Connor has played in all but one game when healthy, according to the team.
