Brandon Meriweather to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The New York Giants responded to a rash of injuries and bolstered their secondary depth Sunday with the addition of veteran safety Brandon Meriweather, per Michael Eisen of Giants.com.

New York also waived kicker Chris Boswell to make room on the roster.

Meriweather was a first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2007 and is a two-time Pro Bowler who provides much-needed health to the defensive backfield. Rookie safety Mykkele Thompson tore his Achilles tendon in Friday’s preseason game and was placed on injured reserve (Thompson is not a vested veteran, so he does not count on the 90-man roster limit).

The table below illustrates that Thompson is far from the only member of the secondary dealing with health concerns (information via Eisen).

Player	Ailment	Time Frame
Landon Collins	Knee	Day to day
Nat Berhe	Calf	Day to day
Prince Amukamara	Groin	Day to day
Trumaine McBride	Hamstring	Day to day
Jayron Hosley	Concussion	Concussion Protocol
Chykie Brown	Knee	Week to week

While most of the injuries are of the short-term variety, the mere fact that there are so many ailments before the physically grinding season is worrisome.

Meriweather played four seasons for the Patriots (including his Pro Bowl appearances in 2009 and 2010), but he was a member of Washington’s secondary in 2014. He has 15 interceptions in 99 regular-season games throughout his career and adds a veteran presence to a defense that was a mediocre 18th in the league last year in total passing yards allowed.

The Giants must deal with Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and the fast-paced attack of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and need a healthy secondary that can keep them in games throughout the season. Meriweather has plenty of experience and can serve as a leader for young players such as rookie Landon Collins.

With Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz on the offensive side, New York should put up plenty of points. The addition of Meriweather means the defense is now better equipped to do its job.