Boring Buccaneers free agent signing actually brings value to roster

Every signing isn’t going to be a breaking news headline. The Buccaneers needed a few “boring” signings to round out their roster, and they found a good one.

Pat O’Connor might be the least exciting name for Buccaneers to focus on this offseason, but his staying in Tampa will have a better impact on the team than most would expect.

Let’s face it; O’Connor doesn’t do much to move the needle on the defensive side of the ball, but the Bucs essentially have no depth in that role at the moment.

O’Connor’s minimum guaranteed salary gives the Bucs a veteran name to rely on in 2022, but it also ensures that they can cut bait if a better option falls into their lap. A lot of names may be better than O’Connor as a depth lineman, but his versatility as a special teamer in addition to his depth is his true selling point.

Tampa’s special teams aren’t great, but they aren’t going to start getting better when they begin moving off of guys that have been key contributors in the role for the last few years.

This signing may not excite anyone, but it does at least slightly lessen the likelihood that Tampa spends another draft addressing special teamers.

The class of 2021 has still left a bad taste in the mouth of some Bucs fans after the team tried to improve special teams by spending picks specifically on the roles, and a guy like O’Connor save Tampa money and draft picks when addressing that side of the ball.

This won’t be the last “boring” signing by the Buccaneers this offseason either. Guys like this are requirements for any team, especially those that have high aspirations in the playoffs. Pat O’Connor doesn’t change much for this team, but signings like him are an obvious requirement for filling out a team that doesn’t want to get crushed on special teams.

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