Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Norman Is Not A Good Fit

There’s something about Josh Norman that keeps buzzing around the NFL. Every time he becomes a free agent, his name is attached to multiple teams. When the Carolina Panthers decided to move on from him, the Washington Redskins backed up the truck to the tune of 5 years/ $75 million to bring him back in 2016. Now, 4 years later Washington has decided to move on as well saving the team $12.5 million.

Of course, now that he’s on a division rival team, fans are looking for the Philadelphia Eagles to pounce. With the draft class deep at the position, they would be wise to pass on the 32-year old cornerback.

First, while Josh Norman might be a good cornerback and still have some good football left in him Philadelphia isn’t the right spot for him. Right now, the Eagles need help in the secondary but they’re not one player on defense away. Truth be told, the team would be wise to find a lower cost CB in free agency and draft top talent at the position. A balance needs to be the focus this offseason with $46.9 million in cap space, according to OvertheCap.com, despite the struggling offense. Throwing money at one position without building depth won’t right the ship. If they can spread the money out evenly, they can pull both the offense and defense statistically out of the middle of the pack.

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Then, of course, there’s Josh Norman as a defender. While he might be a starting-caliber corner in today’s NFL, he’s not a game-changer. In eight seasons he has just 14 interceptions in 111 games, which is 1 for every 8 games he’s played. In those same eight seasons, he’s got 416 combined tackles (52/year) and 311 solos (38/year). Statistically, that is right on par with the rest of the NFL but it doesn’t scream game changer.

On top of his median stats compared to the rest of the NFL, as a playmaker, his effectiveness slipped while he was in Washington. Now teams have to hope a change of scenery will get him back closer to being a shutdown corner. With the NFC East being so competitive the Eagles can’t afford to gamble on a maybe. Despite the Dallas Cowboys starting over with a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, they were battling for the division title as well. When it’s all said and done, Philly would be wise to get a veteran who’s more cost-efficient but could be just as effective. Why overspend and ignore other positions when they can find a proven vet and draft big at the position. Sorry Philly fans, it’s a no on Josh Norman.