Selvie joins Pierre-Paul again after a long time apart. They played together at South Florida.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.  — One defensive end from South Florida has been very productive for the Giants, so today they signed another.
 
Free agent George Selvie today became the seventh unrestricted free agent to join the Giants in the last 10 days. The 6-4, 270-pounder is a former college teammate of Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants’ 2010 first-round draft choice and a two-time Pro Bowler.
 
“I’m excited to be here,” Selvie said. “It’s a great opportunity for me. And I’m excited to be playing with JPP again, along with Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, his first NFL head coach). I’m excited for the opportunity to be here.”
 
“I think that’s a great pickup,” Pierre-Paul said. “He’s a good player. George can play the run and rush the passer. From the film I’ve watched, he’s gotten better as a player.”  
 
Selvie, who is preparing for his sixth NFL season, has played in 68 regular-season games with 29 starts for St. Louis, Carolina, Jacksonville and Dallas. His career totals include 126 tackles (69 solo), 13.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
 
In 2014 for the Cowboys, Selvie played in all 16 games with starts in the final 13 contests at left end, and started both postseason games. He had 30 tackles (19 solo), 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. One of the sacks was a one-yard takedown of Eli Manning in MetLife Stadium on Nov. 23. Selvie had a season-high five tackles (two solo), including a sack, at Seattle on Oct. 12.
 
Selvie entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice (226th pick overall) by St. Louis in 2010, the year Pierre-Paul was selected 15th overall by the Giants. The Rams’ head coach at the time was Spagnuolo.
 
“Spags is a hell of a guy,” Selvie said. “He’s a fiery guy. He wants everything to be perfect. He likes to blitz and get after the quarterback. I know he loves his defensive linemen, so I’m excited to be here with him.”
 
As a rookie, Selvie played in all 16 games and had 21 tackles (15 solo) and 1.5 sacks. The following year, he was waived at the end of training camp and awarded to Carolina. He stayed with the Panthers for a month – playing in four games – before being released on Oct. 5. Selvie was signed on Nov. 5 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, for whom he played 16 games over two seasons. He missed the first five games of the 2012 season with a knee injury.
 
Selvie joined the Cowboys prior to the 2013 season, when he started all 16 games and had career-high totals of 39 tackles (17 solo) and 7.0 sacks.
 
“I’ve been through it (changing teams) before, so it’s going to be pretty easy,” Selvie said. “Spags drafted me in St. Louis, so I’ve played in his defense before. It’s a 4-3 defense, and I’m excited about playing in it.”
 
Selvie and Pierre-Paul were teammates at South Florida in 2009 (JPP’s only season at the school). They each played in 13 games (Selvie started them all, JPP had seven starts). Selvie had 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks, while Pierre-Paul had 45 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
 
“We were on opposite sides, but we worked together,” Pierre-Paul said. “He’s a dedicated worker, and I know he’s going to work to try to get better and better.”
 
The Bulls went 8-5 that season, defeating Florida State and Louisville, as well as Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.
 
“It was a good year,” Selvie said. “We beat a lot of teams people thought we were never going to beat and both of us contributed to that. It was great having that type of season and playing with that type of player. JPP is a hell of a player. I’m excited to be playing alongside him, so it’s going to be great.”
 
Pierre-Paul started every game at right defensive end in 2014. Selvie will presumably battle Robert Ayers and Damontre Moore for the starting job on the left side. Mathias Kiwanuka, who started 11 games last season, was recently released.
 
“George is going to fill in that gap that we have on that other side,” Pierre-Paul said. “He is going to fight for that starting spot. That’s a good thing. That will make everybody work harder.”    
 
Selvie is very familiar with the Giants’ rich history at defensive end, which includes Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and, yes, Pierre-Paul.
 
“There have been great defensive linemen that have played here, and I want to be one of those,” Selvie said. “I felt like this was a great situation. With Jason being over there, he gets a lot of attention. I hope I can get free with that. It’s a great opportunity and a great fit.”
 
In addition to Selvie, the veteran free agents signed by the Giants are running back Shane Vereen, wide receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris, linebackers J.T. Thomas III and Jonathan Casillas, tackle Marshall Newhouse and defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis.