Lions defensive lineman offered to play blocking tight end if they needed him to

We are in prove-it season right now. Every single one of the 90 players on the practice field for the Detroit Lions is looking for a way to make the 53-man roster. For some, that includes showing the coaching staff that you can do more than one thing.

Long snapper Hogan Hatten was a good example of that last year. He showed that he could not only long snap, but he could play linebacker if the Lions needed him to. That helped him get the job over Scott Daly. Now there's another guy who wants to do more things, and he's going as far as letting Lions head coach Dan Campbell know about the other things he can do. That's Pat O'Connor.

“That is the value. I mean, he is, he’s a jack of all trades. As he’s running by me yesterday, he wanted to make sure I knew he could play blocking tight end, so. I’m telling you, kickoff, kickoff return, watch him. He’s a pretty smooth athlete for a big man. Played the nose, played the three, played the big end. He is, he’s versatile, and that’s why he just keeps competing to stay on rosters because it’s hard to ignore a guy like him. He just, he does so many different jobs. You know if you get him into the game, you’re going to be able to use him, I mean there’s no question. But he’s another guy.”

Campbell is right. O'Connor has been in the league for eight years, and if you look at his stat sheet, you'd probably wonder why. He doesn't exactly have that thing stuffed to the gills with tackles and sacks or anything like that. It's because he's made a living at being a special-teams ace and a guy who can fill it just about anywhere. We saw that in 2024 when the Lions went through injuries and O'Connor got brought up from the practice squad, he went from playing on the edge to taking over on the interior. He handled it well, and that's likely why the Lions brought him back.

Now, we don't know if the Lions will ever actually use him as a tight end or if he'll make the 53-man roster with the Lions' defensive line being a lot deeper than you think it is. But he should be able to at least get himself a spot on the practice squad just because he is a do-all type of guy.