Tag: Josh Norman

Bills bringing back former Panthers CB Josh Norman

The Bills are reportedly set to sign former Panthers (and Bills) CB Josh Norman.

When closing up his second run with the Carolina Panthers back in January, 35-year-old cornerback Josh Norman said he knows he can continue playing in the NFL. Well, exactly nine months after making that very statement, Norman has returned.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the former All-Pro defender is signing with the Buffalo Bills.

Similarly to his connection with the Panthers, Norman will be making a second go-round for the Bills—where he played in 2020. He will be reunited (or is it re-reunited?) with general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott—both of whom were already quite familiar with Norman during their days in Carolina.

That 2020 campaign saw Norman appear in 12 games, including three postseason contests. He totaled 30 tackles, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles.

His most recent action, of course, came with the Panthers at the very end of the 2022 season. He played in the team’s final two outings, one of which came as a start against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.

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Cam Newton, Josh Norman battle it out in kickball showdown

Former Panthers Cam Newton and Josh Norman recently went head-to-head on the kickball diamond.

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Former Carolina Panthers Cam Newton and Josh Norman have locked horns many a time—whether they were on the same team or not. In fact, the two have gone at it so much that they needed a whole different sport for their latest battle.

Perhaps inspired by the days of the “Kicking it with Cam!” tournament, Team Newton and Team Norman squared off in a good old fashioned game of kickball. Newton documented the showdown in a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel this past Wednesday:

Cam, of course, couldn’t get started without cheekily harkening back to his pull-apart training camp fight with Norman in 2015. Norman recalled the incident in an interview with VladTV a year ago.

“So we basically, like, at each other’s face,” he said. “And so I grabbed his face mask, like, and I pulled him down to my level. And so he grabbed me. And then I end up hip-tossin’ him. That’s probably why you saw his helmet comin’ off. His whole offensive line came in and bum-rushed me. And I’m looking at my guys like, ‘What’s up?’”

But, the rest was history. Newton and Norman made up and went on to have the best seasons of their NFL careers that year, leading the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and an NFC championship.

“At that time, I ain’t even see anything,” Norman added. “I just saw red, bro. It just took me back. And so we talked about it at the end of the day in the showers. And so, I get it. We gon’ get at each other, but that’s gonna make us better. That’s gonna make us compete. That’s gonna make us worthy of the chance of actually fighting for a championship.”

As for this kickball championship, Team Newton came out with a 3-1 victory.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 18 win over Saints

After a nightmarish outing in Tampa Bay, Panthers CB CJ Henderson bounced back into the good graces of PFF to close out the 2022 campaign.

It’s time for Pro Football Focus to put their pencils down on the Carolina Panthers’ 2022 campaign.

So, for the last time this season, let’s look at the best and worst grades for the team in their Week 18 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Panthers CB Josh Norman on if he wants to play in 2023: I know I still can

While run down from playing in 60 snaps on Sunday, Josh Norman thinks he can still provide value to the Panthers and their young defensive backs in 2023.

Is Josh Norman going to be slinging more wideouts or lattes in 2023?

With the Carolina Panthers packing it in for the season, the 35-year-old cornerback spoke with reporters at his locker on Monday. When asked how he felt after playing every one of the defensive snaps in the Week 18 win over the New Orleans Saints, he kept it real.

“Ran over,” he said jokingly. “Like a Mack truck hit me or something.”

Norman was hit early on by Saints rookie wideout Chris Olave, who dusted the veteran on a pair of catches for 32 yards and a touchdown on the very first drive of the afternoon. But Norman and the Carolina defense would tighten up, allowing zero points the rest of the way out in the 10-7 triumph.

So, does the former All-Pro corner think he has it in him for a return next season?

He then gave his thoughts about his connection with the Panthers’ current defensive backs and how he could help in the future to Carolina Blitz’s Vashti Hurt.

“These guys—they are truly athletic, they have extreme talents,” he said. “They’re only two, four years in the league. So young still, into the maturity level. But at the same time, the talents are off the charts. So I kinda know the game a bit more than they would and give them that knowledge that I got. For their growth, it definitely would help.

“But again, it’s an 18-game season. It’s kinda crazy. But again, anything I could do, obviously. No matter what I’d be or what I’m doing, I’m always gonna be tapped into those guys.”

But, until then, it’s back to the coffee grind.

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Biggest takeaways from Panthers’ Week 18 win over Saints

Steve Wilks might’ve needed another impressive result in Week 18 to get closer to the Panthers’ HC job. Well, he got it.

There’s quite a lot we can take away from this wacky 2022 Carolina Panthers season. But as for their victorious finale on Sunday, here’s what really stands out with the campaign coming to a close.

WATCH: Panthers CB Josh Norman burned by Saints in 1st drive of Week 18

On the first drive of his first start this season, Panthers CB Josh Norman got the work from Saints rookie WR Chris Olave.

Well, now we know why Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks wasn’t comfortable with playing cornerback Josh Norman.

On Sunday, Norman got the starting nod for the team in their 2022 season finale against the New Orleans Saints. This decision came after the 35-year-old played in just 10 defensive snaps in last week’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And, uh, he looked like a 35-year-old who spent nearly the entire season running his coffee shop.

On the very first drive of the afternoon, Norman was scorched by Saints rookie wide receiver Chris Olave on two grabs—one a 7-yard catch on the second snap of the game and the other a 25-yard touchdown.

Olave and the Saints needed just eight plays and four minutes to trek downfield for the 75-yard scoring drive. The touchdown was the fourth of the campaign for Olave, who is also now over 1,000 yards receiving.

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Panthers to start CB Josh Norman vs. Saints in Week 18

After playing in just 10 defensive snaps last week, Josh Norman will get the start for the Panthers in today’s season finale.

Your favorite barista is ready to brew today.

With the release of this afternoon’s inactives list also came a few lineup notes for the Carolina Panthers. And among those notes included the name of cornerback Josh Norman—who will get the start in this Week 18 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Norman was signed to the team’s practice squad ahead of the Week 17 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, after being elevated for the contest, the 35-year-old played just 10 defensive snaps in what would be a 30-24 loss.

Earlier in the week, interim head coach Steve Wilks told reporters he didn’t want to put Norman in a tough situation in Tampa given that he hadn’t played at all this season.

“When you get a guy that’s been sitting on the couch, he’s been running his coffee shop, doing the things that he’s been doing . . . I felt very pleased with him being in the building, coming back, trying to contribute and help,” he said. “But not to the extent where he was gonna play a lot yesterday. So, I didn’t wanna put him in that situation.”

Wilks also noted in the presser that Norman’s snap count could be in the 20 to 25-play range.

He will start alongside CJ Henderson.

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Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks: Josh Norman wasn’t ready enough for Week 17

Steve Wilks didn’t think Josh Norman made a sufficient enough transition from barista to NFL cornerback to play in too much of the Panthers’ Week 17 loss to the Buccaneers.

Entering their Week 17 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers needed help at the cornerback position following the injury to Jaycee Horn. And throughout that contest, it was evident that they really, really needed help at the cornerback position.

But unfortunately for Josh Norman, he wasn’t ready enough—at least according to interim head coach Steve Wilks—to provide that support.

On Monday, Wilks was asked of Norman’s limited playing time in the painful 30-24 loss—one where the Buccaneers threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He told Joseph Person of The Athletic that he didn’t think the 35-year-old had enough time to properly prepare for the big-time showdown.

“When you get a guy that’s been sitting on the couch, he’s been running his coffee shop, doing the things that he’s been doing . . . I felt very pleased with him being in the building, coming back, trying to contribute and help,” he said. “But not to the extent where he was gonna play a lot yesterday. So, I didn’t wanna put him in that situation.”

Norman, who hadn’t played all season, was signed to the practice squad last Monday. And despite yesterday’s struggles of starting corners CJ Henderson and Keith Taylor Jr., the former All-Pro defender played in just 10 defensive snaps.

Wilks, who had previously stated Norman would play no more than 25 snaps in Week 17, then gave us an idea of how many looks he may get in Week 18 against the New Orleans Saints.

“I know I spoke on about 20, no more than 25 plays—and I can see that possibly being the same,” he said. “We need to see exactly where he is from a conditioning standpoint.”

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Panthers CB Josh Norman on if he expected more playing time in Week 17: ‘Inshallah’

Josh Norman played just 11 snaps in the Panthers’ loss to the Buccaneers, one in which Tom Brady and Mike Evans absolutely went off.

Despite being back with the Carolina Panthers for just six days, Josh Norman was absolutely raring to go for Week 17’s huge NFC South showdown. Heck, he even did the early honors by breaking down the pregame huddle.

But unfortunately for the 35-year-old cornerback, he didn’t get many opportunities on the field to show it.

Norman, who signed with the Panthers back on Monday, registered just 11 snaps in Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the defeat, he was asked if he expected to see more playing time in his return.

“Inshallah . . . inshallah,” said Norman, who used the Arabic expression for “god willing” or “if god wills.”

Most of that playing time went to CJ Henderson and Keith Taylor Jr., who started in place on an injured Jaycee Horn. As a whole, the men who were in that secondary simply didn’t deliver—allowing Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady to complete 34 of his 45 passes for a season-high 432 yards and three touchdowns.

Nonetheless, Norman accepts the unusual circumstance he and the team were in and sees the upside of what the organization is growing.

“I think these guys are doing a phenomenal job of preparing each and every week,” he’d added. “I just got here and everything. So it’s just a part of the game.

Norman, who was elevated from the practice squad this weekend, can be brought up once again for next week’s season finale against the New Orleans Saints.

And hey, at least he has this to look back on . . .

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WATCH: Josh Norman breaks down Panthers’ pregame huddle in Week 17

In his first game back for the Panthers, Josh Norman broke down the pregame huddle ahead of Sunday’s big-time matchup with the Buccaneers.

Even though Josh Norman had already spent four years with the Carolina Panthers, we still needed one of those slick jersey edits to get an updated look at the cornerback back in the black (and blue) threads. After all, he’s not the same No. 24 you used to know.

In fact, he isn’t even No. 24 anymore. Here’s the first look, courtesy of Bill Voth from Panthers.com, at Norman sporting his new No. 6 ahead of Sunday’s huge NFC showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Oh, and he just so happened to be the man to break down the pregame huddle!

The 35-year-old veteran, per interim head coach Steve Wilks, is expected to play no more than 25 snaps. Wilks told reporters on Friday that Norman, who was signed to help fill the void left behind by Jaycee Horn, has been trying to get back on the bike for this Week 17 matchup.

“I thought he picked up the defense well,” Wilks said. “Moving around, he’s still trying to get into what I call ‘game shape.’ His movement skills look good, coming in and out of his breaks. It’s just, like I call it, getting back on a bike.”

Well, it’s almost time to ride.

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