Redskins CB Josh Norman returns to field after benching: 'This has made me stronger'
For the first time in weeks, Josh Norman was back on the field for the Washington Redskins.
While things didn’t go his way — Washington fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 37-27 at FedExField — and he played just six snaps, it was his first appearance since he was benched after Week 11.
"This has made me stronger,” Norman said, via ESPN. “I will rise again for it, because that's who I am."
The Redskins didn’t play Norman by choice on Sunday. It was out of necessity after two other cornerbacks went down with injuries during the 10-point loss. One of Norman’s six snaps was defending Eagles receiver Greg Ward, who caught an impressive touchdown late to put Philadelphia ahead, too.
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Though he hasn’t accomplished much on the field this season, due to a lingering hamstring injury and interim coach Bill Callahan’s decision to sit him, the league’s second-highest-paid cornerback is unwavered.
"I don't believe anything. I am [elite]," Norman said, via ESPN. "When you are something you don't believe it, you go out and do it. Sucks that I can't prove it right now, but formalities and situations, you've got to play the cards you're dealt. That's what it is. I was dealt a hand right now, and I've got to play it."
The 32-year-old, who was one of the best corners in the league while with the Panthers, hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2015, his final season in Carolina. He has just 40 total tackles and one interception this season, too, by far his lowest output while in Washington.
To make things worse, the Redskins boast just a 3-11 record and have now dropped two straight.
Yet through his struggles, Norman has stayed both quiet and positive.
"I'm blessed, man. I truly am," Norman said, via ESPN. "Even in this situation, it may not look that way. Trust me. It ain't no gray skies when I look out. Only thing is sunny.
“I'm looking forward to the time when we do touch that blade of grass again, and I'm going to do it in a big way. But like I said, I've been blessed. If I don't play another snap, another down, that's what it is."
Norman’s future in Washington
Norman will enter the final year of his massive five-year, $75 million deal with the Redskins next fall, though the team would save $12.5 million in cap space if they cut him at the end of this season. With several organizational changes expected to be made in Washington in the coming months, it’s unclear what the new coaching staff will want to do with him.
For the time being, though, Norman isn’t worried about his future.
"I'm still under contract for a year, so we'll see what happens," Norman said, via ESPN. "Someone higher deals the cards, I just have to play the hand. I don't deal those cards."
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