Josh Norman
After arriving in Washington after an All-Pro and Pro Bowl 2015 season, Norman signed a five year deal with the Redskins worth $75 million. The first three years of his contract were not as bad as people would clamor about, grabbing three interceptions in two of the three years.
The fourth season, this past year, was when everything went downhill, Norman only appeared in 12 games and was benched on multiple occasions. He ranked 109th out of 112 qualified cornerbacks through PFF’s grading system finishing with an abysmal grade of 45.6.
There are multiple reasons for his struggles, Washington didn’t use Norman’s strengths to their advantage, putting him in too many man coverage sets, when he excels in zone. Also, Norman looked like he had slowed down, he was never the fastest corner but he looked outclassed on the field at times.
With Buffalo looking committed to Josh Norman as an option at the second cornerback spot, the veteran has a chance to fill a similar role he had in Carolina. The Bills hope that Norman can return to his form from his years with Sean McDermott on the Panthers, a defense that uses a zone heavy scheme which should appeal to Normans style of play.
Norman was interviewed by TMZ and stated that he predicts he will return to his “all-world” status he used to carry.
It looks like Josh Norman has the swagger that all cornerbacks crave, now we wait and see if he can walk the walk.