The Washington Redskins have released Josh Norman, but is it really the right move?
Ron Rivera has come in as head coach of the Washington Redskins ready to change the culture, and it was a matter of time before it extended to the roster. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, they will release cornerback Josh Norman.
Norman was headed into the final year of his contract. The Redskins will clear $12.5 million in cap space, while taking on $3 million in dead money.
Over his first three seasons in Washington, Norman played 96 percent, 82 percent (in 14 games) and 100 percent of the defensive snaps. But last year he became a part-time player, on the field for just 53 percent of the defensive snaps (over 12 games-eight starts).
Norman was active but did not see the field in Week 12 last season, then played just five percent of the snaps in Week 13, did not play Week 14 and then played eight percent of the snaps in Week 15 before being inactive again in Week 16 and Week 17.
Pro Football Focus graded Norman negatively in 2018, and he got the 12th-worst coverage grade from PFF among 128 qualified cornerbacks last year.
Under no circumstance is a part-time cornerback worth a $15.5 million cap hit, let alone one that’s been an ineffective as Norman has become. He started his career in Carolina under Rivera, which under a lot of circumstances could have been a lifeline for Norman to stick around in Washington. But remember the Panthers used the franchise tag on Norman after his Pro Bowl season in 2015 before rescinding it, making him a free agent and he wound up signing with the Redskins.
Norman’s name reputation and his level of play simply do not match anymore. It was blatantly obvious he should released this offseason, independent of who would ultimately be making the decision, and for once Washington made the right move.