What It Means:

New England made Walker a three-year offer last offseason, but he opted for a one-year proposal from the Detroit Lions instead. Since, former Patriots executive Bob Quinn has taken over as the general manager in Detroit. At this stage of the process, the Patriots and Lions should be considered the favorites for Walker. Walker is a 26-year-old interior pass rusher who broke his fibula last October.

Walker was expected to do some damage in Ndamukong Suh's old spot, but he finished his 2015 campaign with just nine total tackles and no sacks. He would be depth for the Patriots' 12th-ranked defense, by Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points (NEP) per play. If healthy, he could severely boost the Lions' defense, which ranked 26th in this metric last year.