After spending the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, free agent safety Roman Harper is headed back to join the New Orleans Saints for a second stint.
His agency, SportsTrust Advisors, tweeted out the news on Tuesday.
Two Pro Bowls. A Super Bowl Championship. @Harp41 is headed back to where it all started. #WhoDat #Saints pic.twitter.com/Azjv0bYS05
— SportsTrust Advisors (@_SportsTrust) June 7, 2016
Entering his 11th season as a pro, Harper’s best years are behind him. He started all 32 games for the Panthers the past two seasons but wasn’t nearly as effective at making impact plays last season.
A guy who is more comfortable playing in the box than he is dropping deep into coverage, Harper will likely have a limited role with New Orleans. It’s possible that he could split time with Kenny Vaccaro, who hasn’t been the type of impact player the Saints thought he would be when they drafted him No. 15 overall in 2013.
Then again, it’s hard to know what will happen at the safety position. In addition to Harper and Vaccaro, the Saints have high-priced free agent from two years ago, Jairus Byrd as well as rookie Vonn Bell out of Ohio State.
This signing by New Orleans highlights just how desperate the franchise is for secondary help. Ranking as the second-worst defense in football the past two years, the Saints need all the help they can get. No doubt they hope Harper’s experience will help Vaccaro and Bell become better pros, but at this point his greatest impact might be felt in the film room.