It wasn’t exactly shocking to hear that the Washington Redskins were cutting veteran cornerback Josh Norman on Friday. After seeing a slight decrease in productivity during 2019 and being benched for the final stretch of the season, Norman’s departure was expected, especially when you consider that he would have counted as a $15 million hit to the salary cap in 2020.
However, the release of Norman wasn’t just done in order to save money, according to Redskins coach Ron Rivera. It was also an attempt for the team to get younger as well.
“The big thing is it’s an opportunity for us to get younger,” Rivera said, via NBC Sports Washington. “Josh is a veteran guy and again, just looking at the young guys that we have, we got to get these guys on the football field and more exposed.”
The Redskins roster is littered with young cornerbacks, though the Quinton Dunbar trade request situation has upended the certainty at the position that seemed semi-solid going into 2020. Washington will work with Fabian Moreau, Jimmy Moreland, Aaron Colvin, Coty Sensabaugh, Kayvon Webster, and Breon Borders at the position, but they will likely target a free agent CB come March. They may not have a surefire CB1 anymore, but at least the Redskins aren’t shelling out $15 million to a player who is sitting on the bench.
