Patriots reportedly among teams showing interest in free-agent tight end Delanie Walker

Veteran tight end Delanie Walker has received varying levels of interest from several NFL teams, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday. The New England Patriots being among them.

Ankle injuries have limited the 35-year-old Walker to eight games over the past two seasons. He was released by the Tennessee Titans in March with the failed-physical designation.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Walker’s career spans 504 receptions, 5,888 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Walker entered the league with the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2006 draft. The product of Mt. San Antonio College and Central Missouri has appeared in 183 games and made 100 starts since then. His roles have ranged from kickoff returner to fullback.

“He’s good at everything,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of the 6-foot-2, 248-pound Walker ahead of a December 2015 meeting with the Titans. “He’s a really hard guy to match up on. You put the little guys on him and he’s too big. You put the big guys on him and his quickness, his route-running ability, his length – they’re a problem. So, it seems like whoever is covering him when you look at the tape you’re looking like that’s a mismatch. He’s not quick enough or he’s not big enough. There is nobody that really matches up very well against him.”

New England’s depth chart at tight end currently stands with Ryan Izzo, April third-round draft picks Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, as well as undrafted rookies Jake Burt and Rashod Berry.

Matt LaCosse, an eight-game starter in 2019, opted out on Sunday.