The Buffalo Bills added Josh Norman to their secondary this offseason and regardless of how the depth chart shakes out, he provides the team’s secondary with an experienced, veteran addition. He’s been around the block and knows what he’s talking about.
Norman, 32, was a fifth-round pick in 2012 turned All-Pro defender with the Panthers. He’s been the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL and during his travels, he’s come across the Bills on at least two occasions in his career. But even if it’s just a pair of games, players in the league talk.
Back in 2012, the Bills, in the midst of a playoff drought and often chaos mixed in on and off the field, the organization was often the butt of a lot of jokes.
On Thursday, Norman chatted via video call from the team’s training camp and essentially said that the 2012 version of himself would have not been too thrilled to be on the Bills. But 2020 Norman? Well, he signed on the dotted line. Norman explained how that perception factored into his choice to sign very heavily this offsesaon.
“Aw man… night and day,” Norman said. Worst to one of the best.”
And a bit of a sly prediction, even: “Worst to actually winning the division now.”
In fact, in terms of players now having a new opinion on Buffalo, Norman said easily his pick for the team in the NFL that’s changed players’ minds the most from the start of his eight-year career to now, the Bills are at the top of the list.
“When you look at the whole entire league… who has the biggest change of franchise? Buffalo got to be at the top, without a doubt. That’s one of the reasons why I made my decision to come over here. [The Bills] are right here on the threshold of breaking through onto that next level. That is literally why I’m here, I feel like that’s something I can help,” Norman said.
Norman did mention another incentive he felt there was to joining the Bills as well. Since Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott took over bench boss duties in 2017, the Bills have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. But Norman wouldn’t agree with that statement. He believe it’s No. 1.
“It’s a bad group, it’s a real bad group,” Norman said.
“It’s attack oriented, it’s a mindset,” Norman continued. “When you look at an overall standpoint, we’ve got the best secondary in the league. I think guys really sleep on Micah (Hyde) and Po (Jordan Poyer) back there. They really do a great job over the top and coming down in the box as well. Those two are one of the best tandems in the league. They deserve consideration in that. Then you have Tre (Tre’Davious White) obviously on the other side. He does a great job just keying in on his man and having a guy at that position that goes in day in and day out that makes a play.
“And then you’ve got Levi (Wallace) on the other side, he’s doing a great job. Taron (Johnson) in the nickel. We got so many guys.”
Really, the biggest question mark in Buffalo’s secondary heading into next season might be Norman himself. While a former All-Star talent, he was far from that during his final days with Washington. Norman eventually found himself benched there. But there’s a silver lining.
When Norman was at that top-talent level, McDermott was his defensive coordinator and he earned that All-Pro bit with the Panthers. Earlier this offseason, the coach said he thinks Norman can get there once again.
“With Josh, he certainly had experienced great success in Carolina with our culture there and the system. Now with a similar culture and the same system really, hopefully he’ll be able to regain his form, and I know he’s working extremely hard at it and we’re happy to have him,” McDermott said.
We’ll find right away if McDermott’s prediction holds true, too. With no preseason games en route, Buffalo’s first game on Sept. 13 against the Jets will be for all the marbles. When the Jets come to town that day, expect head coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold to test Norman early and often and hope for the best.
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