Josh Norman out indefinitely with hamstring injury

Josh Norman’s chance with the Buffalo Bills already on pause after an injury.

This offseason, the Washington Football Team moved on from their massive investment, Josh Norman, after his production drastically declined over the years.

Looking to return to form, the veteran NFL cornerback signed on with the Buffalo Bills to reunite with head coach and former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott. With the regular season two weeks away, Norman has already suffered a setback.

During a conference call on Friday, McDermott revealed that Norman will be out indefinitely with a hamstring injury. Norman picked up the ailment during a team scrimmage on Thursday after  the corner intercepted quarterback Josh Allen, but was stripped of the ball by newly-acquired receiver Stefon Diggs. After the turnover, Norman was slow to get up and departed for the rest of practice.

“We don’t know the severity exactly. Those things take some time to get a good read on,” McDermott said, via ESPN. “He’ll continue to learn and be out there when he can. The biggest thing right now is that he maximizes his treatment opportunities so he can get back out there as quickly as possible.”

An injury was the last thing Norman needed

The Bills signed Norman this offseason on a one-year, $6 million contract, with $3 million being guaranteed for the season. Norman was hoping to compete for a starting cornerback job behind Tre’Davious White in training camp, but he’s on the outside looking in with this injury.

Back in 2016, Norman signed a five-year, $75 million deal with Washington after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag off of him. The hope was that Norman would continue to be a shutdown corner in the DC-area, but that never really came to fruition.

This past season, Norman played in 12 games, but was relegated to the bench and the special teams unit due to his poor play. In those appearances, the corner allowed 31 catches on 46 targets for 444 yards and a staggering seven touchdowns against opposing receivers.

Even with former Carolina head coach Ron Rivera taking over the sidelines in Washington, Norman’s job wasn’t safe, as he was released back in February.

With Norman now sitting on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, the second starting corner job is essentially Levi Wallace’s. But expect Norman to return with a massive chip on his shoulder at some point this season to prove his critics wrong.