Pat O'Connor is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' active roster to give the team some needed depth on the defensive line, as Mike Greene will be sidelined for at least the next four games.
On Friday, the Buccaneers signed O'Connor off their own practice squad, marking the second time this season he has received that promotion. Greene, who sustained a calf injury in practice last week and missed the team's game in Indianapolis, has been placed on injured reserve.
O'Connor has been with the Buccaneers since midway through his 2017 rookie season, first signing to the practice squad before getting bumped up to the active roster in November. The Lions had selected him out of Eastern Michigan with a seventh-round draft pick and briefly had him on their practice squad to start the season.
O'Connor spent all of the 2018 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad but was then on the active roster for most of the 2019-22 campaigns. He started this season on the practice squad before his first promotion in Week Three. Between that first six-week stint on the 53-man roster and three other game day elevations from the practice squad, he has played in five games in 2023.
Overall, O'Connor has played 62 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 20 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. He has also been a frequent contributor on special teams.
Greene joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison in 2022 and spent all of last season on the team's practice squad. He made the active roster to start his second NFL season and appeared in the Bucs' first 10 games, with two starts. He has recorded six tackles this season.
