Former Redskins cornerback Josh Norman agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills on Monday, nearly a month after Washington released him.
Norman, 32, joins a talented Bills team that went to the playoffs last year and had one of the best defenses in the NFL. He’ll be reunited with Sean McDermott, Buffalo’s coach who served as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator when Norman was in Carolina.
Josh Norman spoke to several teams following his release and quietly visited Buffalo. He decided on a one-year deal with the #Bills because of his familiarity with the defensive system and the talent around him, including Tre’davious White on the other side of the field.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2020
The NFL Network was the first to report the deal.
Norman can earn up to $8 million with incentives on his new deal, according to the NFL Network.
The Redskins released Norman last month to save $12.5 million in cap room and to help them skew younger on defense. Norman, who spent four years with Washington, was benched for a good chunk of last season as the Redskins lost confidence in his ability to adequately perform week after week.
But Norman expressed confidence he can still play at a high level. Throughout Norman’s time with the Redskins, there was a debate over whether defensive coordinator Greg Manusky was properly using the cornerback.
McDermott, in theory, should put Norman in better positions to be successful. But there is a question of how much Norman has left in the tank after he was routinely beat last year.
According to Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks completed 69.6% of their passes when targeting Norman in 2019.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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