The Detroit Lions will be without both tight end Sam LaPorta and cornerback Terrion Arnold in Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions will also be missing veteran defensive lineman Pat O’Connor.
The team announced on X it has placed O’Connor on injured reserve. O’Connor is dealing with a knee injury.
The announcement came Friday afternoon after the release of the team’s final injury report.
O’Connor has appeared in eight games for the Lions, making three starts, this season. He has posted 10 combined tackles and one pass defense.
The Lions drafted O’Connor at No. 250 overall in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. O’Connor, though, debuted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017.
O’Connor spent six seasons with the Buccaneers. He appeared in 16 games during the 2020 season in which Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl.
Lions Place Pat O’Connor on Injured Reserve
Obviously, O’Connor isn’t the same kind of loss as LaPorta or Arnold for the Lions because he isn’t a starter. But O’Connor has provided quality interior defensive line depth and special teams contributions to the Lions since the start of the 2024 campaign.
Last season, O’Connor appeared in 12 games for Detroit. He had 18 combined tackles, including two for loss. O’Connor also registered one quarterback hit and one sack.
This season, the veteran defensive lineman played 106 defensive snaps and 143 snaps on special teams in his first eight games.
Without O’Connor, the Lions will likely lean on Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, D.J. Reader and Roy Lopez for more snaps along the defensive line interior. However, O’Connor hadn’t been playing that much lately anyway.
In each of the past two games, O’Connor played three defensive snaps. Then in Week 10, he didn’t dress against the Washington Commanders.
With the IR stint, O’Connor will miss at least four games. He will be eligible to make his return in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams.
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