Josh Norman is ready to remind the Panthers what they’re missing

On Monday, Washington cornerback Josh Norman will face the Carolina Panthers for the first time since the team rescinded his franchise tag last offseason.

The Panthers applied the franchise tag to Norman after the 2015 regular season, which culminated in a Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Norman finished the season with four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and 19 pass breakups. He was a key member of Thieves Ave., the nickname bestowed upon the opportunistic Panthers secondary within a defense that led the league in interceptions last season with 22.

The 2015 season also marked the first time Norman earned All-Pro honors. He was also named to the Pro Bowl, though he had to defer because of Carolina’s Super Bowl bid. With Norman in a contract season, and Carolina dealing with limited cap space, tagging Norman made more sense than letting him hit the open market, where they could easily be outbid.

The team intended to tag Norman and then commence discussions toward a long-term deal, but things went south. Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman clashed with Norman’s then-agent, Michael George, and the team opted to move on from Norman.

Norman didn’t want to move on from the Panthers, though. He went so far as to hire Ryan Williams to represent him instead of George, and then Norman offered to work out a mutually agreeable deal to stay in Carolina. The Panthers declined.

“My agent called them up and said if they wanted to do something, like a one-year, market-value [deal],” Norman told ESPN’s David Newton. “We wanted to come back. They said they weren’t willing to, so we had to do what we had to do.”

What Norman had to do was hit the open market as a free agent, and he didn’t stay there long. Washington scooped him up on a five-year, $75 million deal just two days later.

The deal averages out to $15 million per year with $50 million guaranteed, which is a lot better than the $13.75 million Norman would have made under the tag this season.

As the dust settled, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB that the team couldn’t reach common ground with Norman on a long-term deal, and they didn’t want to deal with the uncertainty.

“We were at an impasse, and things weren’t happening, and the one thing we didn’t want to do is go into training camp not knowing,” Rivera said. “I think that was part of the decision.”

It’s been a much different season for Carolina without Norman. Now, the Panthers are 5-8, with a secondary that is allowing an average of 272.4 passing yards per game. That places them 30th in the league.

Norman thinks things might be different if he were still with the Panthers.

“Well, you know what, my whole philosophy in whatever I do is winning,” Norman said. “And if we’re not winning, we’re losing. And I’m not a loser, so we’ll find something or some kind of way to get something fixed.”

Norman said he doesn’t want to kick the Panthers’ secondary while they’re down. He just understands who that defense was last season, at that particular moment in time.

“Then one of those cogs from the system absolutely, abruptly departs and then you try to fill that void and that hole, I mean, shoot, just like anything else, it’s going to take time,” Norman said.

Carolina drafted three cornerbacks in the 2016 NFL draft, mere weeks after rescinding Norman’s tag. Two of those rookies, Daryl Worley and James Bradberry, are at the top of the depth chart, and Bene Benwikere, who had been a starter, was waived after Week 4. It’s a far cry from last year’s group.

Norman has 13 pass breakups and one pick through 13 games. The pass defense in Washington hasn’t been spectacular, and is ranked 24th in the league for yards allowed per game with 257.8. Washington is tied for 21st in the league with eight interceptions on the season.

When quarterbacks throw at Norman, he’s allowed just an 85.8 passer rating for the entire season. Receivers he’s covering have totaled only 466 passing yards, and just 53.8 percent of the targets thrown his way this season have been completed, according to Pro Football Focus.

It will be a process to get the Washington defense to where it needs to be, and Norman believes the influence he brings will help it get there.

“And, yeah, coming over here is making guys on this team better, you know?” Norman said. “Making the defensive line more hungry, making the linebackers play downhill and drop out in a coverage, making the secondary break on the ball and make plays, man. Not so much going out and letting the offense lead us, but the defense lead us.

“And that’s the type of pedigree we’re trying to build in here and that’s the mindset that I have.”

Where Norman is really coming out ahead is the team’s record and postseason chances.

Washington is 7-5-1 and has the misfortune of sharing the NFC East with the 12-2 Cowboys and the 9-4 New York Giants. Yet, Washington is just hanging on to the final Wild Card spot in the NFC.

The Panthers, on the other hand, are very close to being eliminated from playoff contention. They have the Atlanta Falcons, the Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints all ahead of them in the division, and at 5-8, the chances of catching up to them aren’t good.

Just one season removed from a hard-fought Super Bowl loss, the Panthers are likely to be watching the postseason from home. Norman has a better shot of getting there than his former team does.

Norman is an expressive player, and facing the team that rescinded his tag and walked away from him must be somewhat complicated.

“I think come Monday night, those emotions I think they will probably come out and show themselves,” Norman said. “I don’t know what it’ll be because, like I said, it’s my first time being in something like this.”

His coach in Washington, Jay Gruden, doesn’t think Norman will place a special emphasis on this game because of the way he approaches each opponent.

“He tends to be an emotional guy,” Gruden said, laughing. “You know, the good thing about Josh is it doesn’t vary week-to-week, really. He gets up for everybody. He gets up for whoever they line up against him. That’s the beauty of him.”

Norman will have an opportunity to show his former team what they’re missing when the Panthers hit the road to face Washington on Monday Night Football this week.