Roman Harper roamed the Saints’ secondary from 2006-’13. During those eight seasons, he played against the team that now employs him 14 times.

This week, Harper is more than just a safety. He is also one of the coaches’ best friends.

“I definitely have a nice understanding of who (the Saints are), of their offense and what their mindset is,” Harper said.

“Using those things that I’ve seen throughout the years at practice, and knowing how those guys like to attack different opponents, and also watching this game from last year, gives me a nice mindset about what they like to do against this style of defense.”

Harper signed a free agent deal with the Panthers this offseason, which head coach Ron Rivera said was not an intentional move to glean info about a divisional opponent. But the Panthers have gotten some tips from the former Saint.

“It’s been very enlightening,” Rivera said.

When asked what he has learned, Rivera would only say with a smile, “I learned a lot.”