My Opinion (Full Offseason Move Summary)
To the OP:
I appreciate the time you took on this. I don't always agree with what you have, but you did some homework on this. There are a few things I wish to comment on regarding your post:
Harper would save only 1 million in cap space if he's released. (See this link:
New Orleans Saints - 2013 Cap Hits ) which indicates his cap hit is 7.1 million, but his dead money if released would be 6.1 million, equaling just a 1 million dollar savings. They can save more on the cap if his contract is restructured and he becomes a rush SS in certain situations on the field, which he has shown he is very good at being, or perhaps a backup ILB. With a new cap number, that would seem to be where he can help most. I definitely agree he is a liability in the passing defense.
The next thing is that Brees has stated clearly that he will not accept a restructuring of his contract, though he could change his mind. I just don't see it as a foregone conclusion that his contract will be restructured.
I do not see the Saints pursuing Ed Reed (or Charles Woodson for that matter). I say this because I see it as too restrictive on the cap, which will be flat for the next two seasons, at least.
Still, I do appreciate the work you put into this post.