The Detroit Lions continued their second phase of free agency on Tuesday by securing a few important depth players.
Along with re-signing tight end Shane Zylstra, the Lions have also retained veteran defensive end Pat O’Connor and sixth-year running back Craig Reynolds.
The team shared the announcement on Tuesday through its social media platforms.
Although the Lions didn’t tender Reynolds ahead of the NFL’s new league year, reports suggested he intended to stay in Detroit for 2025 on a one-year contract.
Reynolds appeared in 17 games last season, rushing 31 times for 139 yards while playing 272 snaps on special teams.
Since head coach Dan Campbell’s arrival in 2021, Detroit’s backfield has undergone several changes, but Reynolds—nicknamed “Netflix”—has remained a consistent presence as he enters his fifth season with the team.
O’Connor, a former Eastern Michigan star and the Lions’ seventh-round draft pick in 2017, returns for a second straight season after rejoining Detroit last offseason.
The 31-year-old Chicago native contributed as a key rotational defensive lineman, tallying 18 tackles—including two for loss—and a sack in 12 games. His versatility was evident when he stepped in at nose tackle following Kyle Peko’s season-ending pectoral injury against the Cowboys in Week 6.
O’Connor now joins Marcus Davenport, Levi O wuzup Ike, Myles Adams, and Mitchell Agude as defensive linemen the Lions have kept this offseason.