The Carolina Panthers need to keep Josh Norman on their roster.
The Carolina Panthers come in to the 2015 off-season with a lot of work in front of them. The team put together a 15-1 regular season record but came up drastically short in the Super Bowl. As the days to the 2016 season pass buy, the Panthers need to leverage this momentum into keeping as much of their roster as possible. Looking at the list of potential free agents, Josh Norman is clearly the most important free agent on the Panthers’ roster.
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When talking about Norman, there are a number of different points worth bringing up. Experts and fans alike were consistently upset with the defensive back before the season even started. The training camp fight with Cam Newton didn’t win him any additional fans either. However, when the regular season began Norman started to put forth a run that earned him the unofficial tag of best defensive back in the game.
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That point is very hard to argue when looking at his statistical contributions. He ended the year with 4 interceptions for 110 return yards, 3 forced fumbles, two recoveries and 56 combined tackles. Yet, his real contribution is found outside the box score as he was paired against some of the best receivers each weekend. More often than not, he did a fantastic job limiting these players from having a big impact on the game. In fact, there were many times he would “save” the Panthers with late-game heroics.
His presence on the field allowed the rest of the defense to perform at high levels. Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis were able to control the middle of the field while limiting how often they were needed in coverage. Kurt Coleman had a breakout year and much of that can be attributed to playing alongside Norman as well.
David Newton of ESPN wrote that he expects the Panthers to use the franchise tag on Norman during the off-season. This move wouldn’t surprise anyone and is very similar to what Carolina did with another standout defensive player from the past, Julius Peppers. This is a smart move to hopefully keep Norman around for another year while working out a long-term deal. It will be interesting to watch because resigning Norman to a huge deal has the potential of increasing his salary to more than Luke Kuechly, who just signed a new $12.4 million dollar deal before the 2015 season.
Defense has always been one of the pillars to not only a strong Panthers team; but strong performance throughout the league. In fact, the Panthers just lost to a team that was very weak offensively in the Denver Broncos, but so strong on defense that they were able to stop Newton and this powerful offense.
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Josh Norman is a central figure on this defensive unit. His performance impacts not only those standing across from him, but the players that stand next to him as well. As the off-season looms for one of the best teams in the league, it will be interesting to see how they handle a player that bloomed in extravagant fashion this year.