NFL

Giant additions: Jints acquire Myers, two others

In with the new, out with the old?

That could be the Giants plan based on the three free agent acquisitions they made today, agreeing to terms with inside linebacker Dan Connor, receiver Louis Murphy and, according to reports last night, tight end Brandon Myers.

The 27-year-old Myers, a sixth-round pick out of Iowa in 2009 had a breakout last season (his fourth with the Raiders), catching 79 passes for 806 yards and four touchdowns.

The Giants were in need of tight end help after Martellus Bennett, who caught 55 passes last season, left them for the Bears as a free agent.

Both Connor, who’s is entering his sixth NFL season, and Murphy, a former Raider, agreed to one-year contracts. Details of Myers deal were unknown.

All the players address position needs where the Giants have existing free agents of their own — Chase Blackburn at inside linebacker, receivers Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden, and tight end Bennett having already defected.

Connor, a third-round draft choice from Penn State picked by Carolina in 2008, played four years with the Panthers before joining Dallas last year.

The 6-foot-2, 241-pounder has played 56 career games with 27 starts with 222 career tackles (129 solo), a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Last year with the Cowboys, he played in 14 games, starting eight — three at weakside linebacker and the season’s last five games at middle linebacker. He finished with 56 tackles (32 solo).

Connor said the Giants were a perfect fit for him.

“Talking to the Giants coaches, the [4-3] system seems to fit me,’’ he said. “I wanted to get back into a 4-3 look. It’s a great opportunity. When my agent called me and said they were interested I was so thrilled. This is a class organization with a lot of tradition. They’re a successful team with a winning tradition and it was something I wanted to be a part of. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Connor said his preference is to play middle linebacker, saying: “I think that’s my position. That’s the position where I’m comfortable. I played it in college [at Penn State] and I was in the middle of a 4-3 in Carolina.”

Connor, who set a school record at Penn State with 419 career tackles in 45 games and he also had 14 sacks and four interceptions, welcomed staying in the NFC East.

“Being able to stay in the same division is great,” Connor said. “There are so many rivalries. It’s a very competitive division to play in. I’m very excited to stay in it. [Giants-Cowboys] is a big-time rivalry. It runs deep. I know it’s a competitive one with definitive hatred from team to team, and you don’t see that much in the NFL. But it’s alive in this division.”

Murphy, 25, was a fourth-round pick out of Florida in 2009 and has played for the Raiders and Panthers, catching 115 career passes and seven touchdowns in four seasons. His best season was 2010, when he caught 41 passes for 609 yards for the Raiders.

With the Vikings and Rams now not expected to target Cruz in free agency because of other moves they’ve already made, according to ESPN, that makes his re-signing with the Giants more likely, because the Vikings and Rams are the only teams with two first-round picks in upcoming draft. The Giants tendered Cruz, a restricted free agent, to a first-round-pick compensation should a team sign him away.

The Vikings signed receiver Greg Jennings on Friday to a five-year deal worth $47.5 million and the Rams let Danny Amendola sign with the Patriots because of over money.

Since the Giants would have the opportunity to match any offer for Cruz, a team would likely have to offer the wide receiver a high-priced deal in addition to giving up the first-round pick.