NFL Rumors: Chicago Bears interested in signing Roman Harper?

If there’s one thing the Bears need to improve, it’s their defense which is almost blasphemous to even think let alone suggest. The Monsters of the Midway are no longer known for their defense, as the team is now an offensive minded squad that will be putting the likes of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery above all else.

But as we saw last season, a bad secondary can kill your playoff chances and many fans are looking at the upcoming free agent class to see if the Bears can’t find some help at safety.  One name that is starting to pop up is Roman Harper, who is expected to be released by the New Orleans Saints as they scrounge for money to give Jimmy Graham.

ESPN.com writer Michael C. Wright states that while Harper makes a lot of sense for the Bears, pursuing him may cause his price to rise out of the range Chicago is comfortable with paying.

"There’s definitely some value in pairing a young safety (Chris Conte) with a savvy veteran such as Harper, who could serve as a leader in the secondary. Such a move would pay dividends in terms of getting the secondary lined up correctly, and Harper would be able to teach Conte, who struggled in 2013, some of the finer points of the game to improve his play… But my guess is he’ll want significantly more than what the Bears would be willing to pay. The Bears simply don’t pay safeties; especially not older safeties."

Adding Harper does make a world of sense, but the Bears aren’t about to overpay for a 31-year old safety. If he can be had at the right price, the Bears could be interested but Harper first needs to be cut by the Saints before any of this can even be considered.