Josh Norman emerged as one of the preeminent shutdown corners in the NFL in 2015. As he hits free agency, here are five teams that could use him in 2016.
While the 2015 Carolina Panthers came up short in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 7th, the Panthers had a magnificent 2015 NFL season, going from a sub-.500 team the year before to going 15-1 en route to the franchise’s second-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
Though quarterback Cam Newton was the 2015 NFL MVP and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly is certainly becoming a Ray Lewis/Brian Urlacher type of force on the inside, if one player improved his stock the most with the 2015 NFL campaign it was cornerback Josh Norman.
In 2015, Norman went from a so-so defensive back to a shutdown All-Pro corner for an elite 2015 Panthers team. Carolina typically leans on its front seven defensively to make up for inefficiencies in the secondary, but Norman’s strong season made it very difficult to put up points on the Panthers at all levels of their defense.
After by far and away his best season as a professional, Norman will hit 2016 NFL Free Agency in the midst of his prime at 28 years old. He’s going to certainly command a hefty increase in pay this offseason with his new contract. Here are five teams that should have high interest in signing the four-year pro out of Coast Carolina this spring in free agency.
Next: 5. Oakland Raiders