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2016 NFL free agency: Kelvin Sheppard to sign with New York Giants

The Giants collect another free-agent linebacker

Kelvin Sheppard
Kelvin Sheppard
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

[Updated with information from Kevin Nogle of SB Nation's "The Phinsider," which covers the Dolphins.]

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Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard took to Twitter Sunday morning to announce that he will sign with the New York Giants on Monday and join the team when it begins its offseason program.

Sheppard, 27, is a five-year veteran who started 13 games for the Miami Dolphins in 2015. He had 105 combined tackles, a career high, and two passes defensed. A 2011 third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills, Sheppard spent two years with the Bills, one year with the Indianapolis Colts and the last two years with the Dolphins. He has made 46 starts in 77 career regular-season games.

Sheppard played middle linebacker for the Dolphins last season. He recently visited with the Giants and will join Keenan Robinson and Jasper Brinkley as veteran possibilities for the Giants at that spot.

Here is Kevin Nogle of SB Nation's Dolphins web site, The Phinsder, on Sheppard:

Sheppard spent two years with the Dolphins, working primarily as a special teams player in 2014. He was installed as the starting middle linebacker in 2015, and he was a solid player. He was second on the team in tackles, and he was out there every single week in a year in which the Dolphins struggled with injuries to their linebackers. He is not going to be spectacular, but he is going to be around the ball, he is going to make tackles, and he is going to be a solid all-around player. The Dolphins felt they could upgrade the linebacker positions all around this year, especially at middle linebacker, and that is why they allowed Sheppard to leave without re-signing him. He is not a "field general" type of linebacker, but he will be able to fill a position and should not have too many mistakes.