Entering their Week 17 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers needed help at the cornerback position following the injury to Jaycee Horn. And throughout that contest, it was evident that they really, really needed help at the cornerback position.
But unfortunately for Josh Norman, he wasn’t ready enough—at least according to interim head coach Steve Wilks—to provide that support.
On Monday, Wilks was asked of Norman’s limited playing time in the painful 30-24 loss—one where the Buccaneers threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He told Joseph Person of The Athletic that he didn’t think the 35-year-old had enough time to properly prepare for the big-time showdown.
“When you get a guy that’s been sitting on the couch, he’s been running his coffee shop, doing the things that he’s been doing . . . I felt very pleased with him being in the building, coming back, trying to contribute and help,” he said. “But not to the extent where he was gonna play a lot yesterday. So, I didn’t wanna put him in that situation.”
Norman, who hadn’t played all season, was signed to the practice squad last Monday. And despite yesterday’s struggles of starting corners CJ Henderson and Keith Taylor Jr., the former All-Pro defender played in just 10 defensive snaps.
Wilks, who had previously stated Norman would play no more than 25 snaps in Week 17, then gave us an idea of how many looks he may get in Week 18 against the New Orleans Saints.
“I know I spoke on about 20, no more than 25 plays—and I can see that possibly being the same,” he said. “We need to see exactly where he is from a conditioning standpoint.”
