Oakland Raiders: Josh Norman Should Be A Target In 2016
It’s no secret to any Raiders fan that over the last few seasons, Oakland has struggled to stop opposing teams passing attacks. 2015 was no exception, and while the Raiders saw an improvement in overall team defense, their pass coverage left much to be desired.
Pro Football Focus agrees, as it showed the Raiders defense ranked 11th overall this past season, mostly due to its run defense (10th ranked) and not its pass coverage (ranked 22nd). In fact, if it weren’t for the team’s sixth-ranked pass rush, the passing defense would have been much worse.
Related Story: The best defenders in NFL history
What does this mean for 2016? Simple: The Oakland Raiders need a top-five cornerback to anchor their secondary. Enter free-agent-CB-to-be Josh Norman.
Now, a lot can happen between now and when free agency starts in March. Norman is, of course, playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday against the Broncos , and an injury could hurt his off-season stock. The Panthers could choose to franchise tag him. He could take a hometown discount. For the purposes of this argument, let’s assume Norman will hit the free agent market injury-free and wanting a fairly big payday.
This is where the Raiders will have a lot of leverage. They will be amongst the top of all NFL teams in terms of salary cap space and can offer Norman a contract he might not be able to refuse. Playing for the Raiders would give Norman a chance to be “the guy” on a team that doesn’t have a lot of stars on defense, unlike in Carolina, where Norman plays second fiddle to Luke Kuechly and, of course, QB Cam Newton on offense.
More from Las Vegas Raiders
- 5 NFL teams that will definitely disappoint fans in 2023
- 3 Players the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders gave up on way too early
- 2024 NFL Draft: Who picks at the top of the draft in April?
- NFL Predictions: 5 Teams that will be drafting a quarterback in 2024
- 5 NFL Head Coaches that could be fired by the end of the 2023 season
Sure, Norman is brash and can bring the spotlight to himself negatively sometimes. His dust-up with Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. was widely publicized, and while Beckham Jr. looked worse than Norman after all was said and done, Norman wasn’t exactly an angel either.
The bottom line is this: Norman will arguably be the best free agent cornerback available in the off-season, and the Raiders are very under talented at the position. Other than promising pick-up David Amerson off of the waiver wire, there isn’t much to get excited about. D.J. Hayden is under contact for 2016, but he has proven himself to be no better than a slot corner or a back-up.
The Raiders need a true lock down cornerback in his prime. Norman is that guy, and the numbers play this out.
Norman was ranked the 3rd best cover corner in 2015 by PFF.com. Since he came into the league in 2012, he has been steadily improving each year, and even though he frequently took the opposing teams toughest WR match-up this past season, Norman had an amazing year.
He finished top five or ten in almost every meaningful statistic when it comes to coverage: (4 INT- 5th overall, 9.3 average yards against- 4th overall, 2 TD’s given up in coverage, tied for 3rd best). By the way, Hayden ranked near the bottom of the league is most of these categories in 2015.
Matching up 2015 Raiders breakout star Amerson with Norman looks to be a great start to beginning to build a truly dominant secondary in Oakland for 2016. And while safety would still be a concern, it would be highly doubtful the Raiders secondary would be as bad as it was this past season.
More nfl spin zone: Depth A Concern For 2016 Oakland Raiders
The Raiders will have the cap space. If Norman fits coach Jack Del Rio’s scheme it could be a match made in heaven.