The Detroit Lions have signed former New England Patriots outside linebacker Marquis Flowers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Flowers will be reunited with Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who should be very familiar with the linebacker after working with him as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator last season.

A former sixth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014, Flowers was traded to the Patriots before last season. He played just over a quarter of the defensive snaps and was a regular in special teams as he appeared in all 16 regular-season game. Flowers finished the year with 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, all new career-highs.

Flowers re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal earlier this offseason. However, he was released by New England on Saturday. He isn’t the first member of the 2017 Patriots defense to come over to Detroit with Patricia this offseason. The Lions also signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois to a one-year deal in July.

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Flowers will join a Lions linebacking corps that includes Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones, Eli Harold, Devon Kennard, Steve Longa, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

The Lions have struggled to contain tight ends and running backs over the past couple of seasons due to their lack of mobility at the linebacker positions. Flowers possesses the sort of speed that could help with that particular weak spot in their defense.