March 11--The Chicago Bears entered free agency with a focus on upgrading their talent and depth at safety. And so their interest in Ron Parker, a 27-year-old playmaker who spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, shouldn't register as surprising.
A league source confirmed that Parker has a visit scheduled with the Bears as he continues through the free-agency process. And while the team already has been in contract talks with veteran safety Antrel Rolle, a 32-year old three-time Pro Bowl selection who figures to sign with the Bears, adding additional talent and competition at the position makes sense.
Parker, still a bit of an under-the-radar playmaker, went undrafted out of Newberry College in 2011 and bounced between Oakland, Seattle and Carolina before a somewhat surprising emergence with the Chiefs.
Parker made his first career start in the 2013 season finale, playing at cornerback and recording six tackles and an interception. He slid into a starting role at safety last season and was dependable on the back end for the Chiefs as part of a pass defense that led the AFC in fewest yards allowed, surrendering 203.2 per game. Parker finished the year with 94 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and 12 passes defensed. He is figured to have versatility in the secondary, another trait that may be intriguing to Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox.
The Bears have opted to let four-year starter Chris Conte walk away in free agency with Conte in Tampa Bay visiting with Lovie Smith and the Buccaneers. Ryan Mundy remains an incumbent starter at safety. And the only others under contract on the Bears roster at the position are Brock Vereen and Anthony Walters.
The Bears were linked to Da'Norris Searcy in the early stages of free agency. But Searcy signed Tuesday with the Tennessee Titans. Rahim Moore, meanwhile, will visit with the Houston Texans, according to Fox Sports.
Moore was considered to be the top safety available on the market when free agency began Tuesday after Devin McCourty re-signed with the New England Patriots over the weekend.
