Jasper Brinkley to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Veteran linebacker Jasper Brinkley signed with the New York Giants on Tuesday after being released by the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys.     

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the news, which is particularly notable considering the Giants will square off with the Cowboys to begin the 2015 regular season on Sunday evening.

The acquisition may only be for a temporary competitive advantage, however slight. Art Stapleton of the Record hinted at that notion in his analysis:

Brinkley signed a two-year contract with $2 million guaranteed to join Dallas this offseason yet couldn't make the final 53-man roster and was waived on Monday, per the Cowboys' news release.

Dallas' defensive system seemed tough for Brinkley to adjust to—at least initially—based on his remarks from July.

"It's an uptempo pace here," said Brinkley, per the Dallas Morning News' Jon Machota. "That's something that I don't think you can prepare for it before you get here. But once you get here and you kind of see how it is, like right now, I know what they expect. Coming in, I didn't know, and it's tough. It's tough on a new guy. It's pretty rough."

Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News highlighted how Brinkley's move to the Big Apple actually helps America's Team to a degree:

On the other hand, Brinkley may have staying power in New York because there isn't as much competition in the Giants' linebacker corps. The team has an injury-prone man in the middle in Jon Beason, which is where Brinkley is accustomed to playing in a 4-3 alignment.

The preseason isn't always a strong indicator of what's to come, but New York struggled on defense and allowed Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw two touchdowns in the third exhibition game.

Securing a player in Brinkley with starter experience—including four starts with the Minnesota Vikings last year—is a savvy move by general manager Jerry Reese to build depth for the 2015 campaign. In the immediate future, the transaction may allow New York to gain a bit of inside knowledge regarding what the Cowboys are scheming up for Week 1.