Josh Norman is 28 years old. In 2015, Norman became a First-Team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl participant. Less than two and a half months after the latter achievement, the Carolina Panthers rescinded their franchise tag offer. Norman was released.
Two days later, the Washington Redskins won the bidding war for Norman. All said, Washington owes Norman $75 million over the next five seasons. He is earning more annually than Chris Harris Jr. and Marcus Peters combined.
For some, the move was hailed as the Redskins attempting to build off their shocking 2015 NFC East title For others, Norman’s signing symbolized owner Daniel Snyder’s impatience. Washington was finally building a winner from within, and then Norman became available.
At 28, Norman is in the prime of his NFL life, but that is a fleeting term for a player dependent upon his speed. In his four-year career, Norman has amassed seven interceptions and two touchdowns. Peters, a standout rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, notched eight thefts and two scores.
Ultimately, general manager Scot McCloughan’s decision to sign Norman will be viewed in one of two lights. If the Redskins win, Norman was a home run. If not, he was another free-agent flop in a long line of them coming from the nation’s capital.
Going into last season, Washington had the luxury of few expectations. Nobody believed that second-year head coach Jay Gruden could turn the Redskins into winners. Gruden was a popular pick to be the first coach fired.
Instead, Washington took advantage of an underwhelming division headlined by the depleted Dallas Cowboys. It won nine games and its first NFC East crown since 2012. The Redskins were beaten soundly in the NFC Wild Card game by the Green Bay Packers at FedEx Field, but the excitement for 2016 could not be squashed.
With an explosive offense and Norman anchoring a young but improving secondary, Washington has the look of a contender. While expecting a Super Bowl berth would be too much, there is reason to believe the Redskins can become a repeat playoff team. Kirk Cousins has taken hold of the quarterback spot. The former Michigan State star tossed 29 touchdowns and totaled more than 4,000 passing yards last year. Playing on the franchise tag in 2016, Cousins has considerable motivation to prove 2015 wasn’t a fluke.
The weapons around Cousins are plenty. Running back Matt Jones enters his second season with promise, while the receivers are stacked. Few teams have the firepower of Pierre Garćon, DeSean Jackson and rookie Josh Doctson. Factor in tight end Jordan Reed – the biggest Pro Bowl snub of last season – and Washington can put points on the board.
While all of this is great news for fans on the Beltway, it also places a metric ton of pressure on Norman. After doing little else to improve a unit that finished 28th in total yardage allowed, McCloughan is putting Norman in a brutal spot. Either the defense improves dramatically, or the fans focus their angst on you.
Norman could play spectacular football as he did in 2015, but football is the ultimate team game. If Washington can’t generate a pass rush outside of Ryan Kerrigan, it’s doomed regardless of the play in the secondary. The same can also be said about Norman’s partner across the field in Bashaud Breeland. Breeland has yet to show he can play at a quality level. If his mediocrity continues, Norman’s side will be ignored completely as teams take aim at the third-year corner.
In essence, Norman’s signing is a moot point without continued development around him. Washington has arguably fallen well short in that endeavor.
In the 1970s ans 80s, the Redskins were a machine. From the time George Allen took over as head coach in 1971 through the franchise’s third and most-recent Super Bowl win in 1991, Washington was the model of consistency. Throughout that 21-season stretch, the Redskins won more Super Bowls (3) than had losing seasons (2).
Fans of a younger generation have only heard about such success in D.C. Washington has slogged through much of the last 20 years, pinning hope on all the wrong players. Whether it was Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte, Patrick Ramsey or Jason Campbell, it has been a mess.
Now, the team is hoping once more to have finally hit on a franchise quarterback, this time in Cousins. Oddly enough, Cousins was only the second signal-caller taken by the Redskins in the 2012 NFL Draft, going three rounds after Robert Griffin III.
For Washington, the time has come to pull itself off the mat for more than a single season. The Redskins were long a desirable destination for NFL talent, only to become a vast wasteland under the Snyder regime. If they are going to be considered a winner again and a place where free agents will consider for a reason other than greenbacks, this campaign needs to be successful.
Every year, a team offers short-term excitement with a dose of false hope. In 2012, Washington was that shining star. In 2008, the Miami Dolphins stunned the football world by winning 11 games and the AFC East after a 1-15 season. They have yet to reach the postseason since.
Washington has the nucleus of a very good, young team. There remain holes in the roster on both sides of the ball, but that can be said of most NFL squads. The Redskins stayed relatively quiet this offseason save for the one sonic boom that is Norman.
Of course, Washington knows all too well that free agency is a boom-or-bust proposition.