FOXBORO - Jeff Shoate has the ring that 50 or so of his new teammates would kill to have.

That's why he's happy that his Super Bowl XLII championship ring from the New York Giants is safely in the hands of his wife, Ronisa, back in Los Angeles.

"I finished on the Giants' practice squad and was able to get me a nice ring out of it," the fifth-year cornerback from San Diego State. "A lot of guys here don't appreciate it. I didn't bring it with me. It's back home it's a nice ring. I haven't even seen it yet. My wife just got it in the mail so she's at home walking around wearing it. I haven't even gotten to see it yet."

Despite his ownership of the ring from the Super Bowl that no one in New England wants to remember, Shoate is in the enviable position of possibly being in a position to help the Patriots challenge for the next one.

Signed as a veteran free agent Saturday after safety Tank Williams was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered in Thursday's 16-15 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Shoate isn't by any means a lock to make the team. But with injuries starting to peck away at the defensive backfield, he's been brought in to lend a veteran presence and fill in where needed - and most veterans who have been out of work for a while know that's an opportunity that can't be taken lightly. "Right now, there's a few guys who are down and it's my job to step in and hopefully I can make some plays and hopefully win a spot on the team," he said Monday inside the Dana-Farber Field House behind Gillette Stadium. "No matter what team you're with, when guys go down and you get a chance to get on the field you've got to take advantage of it right away."

Shoate, 27, has played in 14 career NFL games, all with the Denver Broncos. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback was originally drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft (152nd overall). He played in seven games as a rookie for Denver and totaled three special teams tackles.

In 2005, Shoate missed the entire season after being placed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, then he spent the entire 2006 season on the Broncos' practice squad. Last season, he played in seven games for the Broncos and totaled eight tackles before being released on Dec. 4.

"It was just constant changes going on," he said of the circumstances that led to his demise in Denver. "Each year was a little different for me. They brought in a lot of draft picks. Next year I had to fight my way back from the injury and then, fourth year I was able to get an opportunity to play a little bit."

After his release from the Broncos, Shoate was signed to the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad on Dec. 12, and joined the Giants' practice squad during last season's playoffs.

"It literally was just the playoffs," he said of his tenure with the reigning World Champions. "After they beat Tampa Bay They called me the Tampa Bay week. They told me if they won, they were going to bring me in just in case (Sam) Madison or (Kevin) Dockery didn't get healthy. Those guys got healthy, so I just helped out in practice pretty much.

"I got a ring out of it," he said proudly.

It's quite the career experience, to have left the Broncos and Ravens - two teams whose better days were behind them last season - to join a team that went on a roll of Biblical proportions at the end of the year, and then to join the team that put an 18-game winning streak together only to have it snapped by his previous team.

"It's kind of funny to be with (the Giants) when they were on that run," Shoate said. "They were playing so well. Then to come to a team that's been doing it for so long, who's used to playing like that, I mean, it's great for me. I'm happy to be around Coach Belichick and get to see how he runs his organization."

There's no time for Shoate to sit back and ruminate about his good fortune. "Of course, I've got to learn the defense," he said. "That's going to take a couple of days. I've been working on that all weekend. Luckily I got to come in at a time where they were taking a break, so that's going to help out a lot. So far, I'm getting a pretty good grasp for it, but I've got to do it on the field."

Not surprisingly, the San Diego native said he has no problem with playing special teams.

"No matter what, you've got to play special teams," he said. "If you're not starting, you've got to be ready to do that. So I came ready for that and hopefully I'll get a shot to make some plays on defense."

Anything, he added, is preferable to being on the outside looking in. He said he was disappointed that some team hadn't come calling at the start of training camp, but he stayed in shape and hoped for the best.

"I was a little bit disappointed, but I got to spend a lot of time with the family, too," said Shoate, who has a young son. "You don't get to do that much in the league. So I just sat back and waited for my opportunity, stay in shape and luckily I came to a great team.

"I'm here," he added. "Hopefully, I'll be here to stay."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.