FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – One of the more unusual occurrences with a potential New England Patriots free-agent signee has unfolded this week.

On Tuesday, it was reported in multiple outlets -- first by the Boston Globe and then by ESPN and others -- that the Patriots were expected to sign free-agent defensive tackle Alan Branch.

On Thursday, Branch had walked through the team’s locker room and cordially engaged reporters, saying he’d talk when given clearance from the club. Branch also stopped at one locker that appeared to have some of his belongings in it.

Yet here we are on Friday and there has been no official transaction.

So what’s going on?

Here’s what I think is happening:

The Patriots had hoped to have Branch in the fold for this week’s game against the Bears. They brought him to town mid-week with the intention of signing him, assuming everything checked out medically and with his workout.

Something obviously happened between the workout and the team’s next practice.

That could have been specifically with Branch, who was first spotted by reporters Thursday coming out of the athletic training room. It wouldn’t be out of the question that perhaps Branch tweaked something in the workout, affecting his availability.

Or it simply could have been that ever-evolving needs on other areas of the roster trumped the urgency to sign Branch immediately. For example, perhaps the idea of carrying an extra offensive lineman until there is more clarity on the injury status of concussed Dan Connolly and Bryan Stork takes precedence.

Asked about Branch on Friday, Bill Belichick said: “We work out a lot of players around here over the course of the season. Some we bring on the roster and sign and we work with. Some we don’t and are there if we decide to do it.”

Branch’s presence at the team facility Thursday had the feeling of a type of “I’m going to be around here” situation. Most players the team works out don’t hang around and chat with reporters unless they’re going to stick around.

So in this case, Branch is still on standby.

No one would be surprised if a signing happens today. But if the team doesn’t think he would be ready to help Sunday -- and without practicing this week that might be asking a lot -- perhaps an official signing is still a few days away.