Carolina Panthers: 30 greatest players in franchise history
Coming in as a fifth-round pick, not a lot was expected of Josh Norman when he joined the Panthers. Luckily for him, he turned out to be one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks within a couple of years in Charlotte.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, his ego always seemed to get the best of him. One of the league’s biggest trash talkers, Norman could never shut his mouth when he needed to. Although he routinely backed up his talk with his play, it ultimately led to his departure from Carolina and decision to sign with the Washington Redskins.
For now though, let’s focus on what he did during his four seasons with the Panthers.
The crazy part is that up until his fourth year with the franchise, Norman wasn’t even the full-time starter. Then, when given that opportunity, he turned a shot at starting into a Pro Bowl nod and All-Pro selection. By the time his final year in Carolina was over, he had asserted himself as a shutdown cornerback and turnover forcing machine.
An ugly offseason and rescinding of the franchise tag led to his eventual departure. It wasn’t the result Panthers fans wanted, but it was what they got. Now Norman is gone, costing him his shot at working his way further up this list.