New York Giants NFL 2015 roster news: Veteran Brandon Meriweather signed to address issues at safety position

Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison

Veteran safety Brandon Meriweather did enough in his workouts with the New York Giants and it paid off as they signed him Sunday following injuries to their main players in the position. 

The Giants' main safeties went down with injuries in their preseason opener which made them search immediately for a quality player to fill the void in the roster. 

Safeties Landon Collins and rookie Mykkele Thompson left their first game in the preseason against the Cincinnati Bengals last Friday after sustaining injuries. 

Collins had a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his left knee and will be out for an indefinite time, while Thompson will have to miss the entire 2015 season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. 

Meriweather is a tested veteran and has played in a total of 99 regular season games since being selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2007 National Football League (NFL) Draft.

The 31-year-old safety spent his first four seasons with the Patriots and also played for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. 

Meriweather also have experience playing in the playoffs, having five postseason appearances while he was still with New England. 

In his career, Meriweather has a total of 424 combined tackles, six sacks, nine forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 15 interceptions. 

According to ESPN, the addition of Meriweather to the Giants made him the most experienced safety in the roster, which also has Nat Berhe, Justin Currie, Josh Gordy, Justin Halley, Bennett Jackson, Jeromy Miles, and Cooper Taylor. 

ESPN suggested that Meriweather will have a chance to compete for the starting position once he remains healthy. 

Along with injuries, another concern is Meriweather's aggressiveness which already caused him a number of suspensions in the past. 

But if he can stay away from those setbacks and perform impressively with his experience being a huge plus, a starting job with the Giants will not be far from sight.