The Carolina Panthers made a stunning move Wednesday by rescinding the franchise tag to cornerback Josh Norman, immediately making him an unrestricted free agent. This is just the third time that a team has yanked the tag from a player in the last 10 years. But apparently, it's not that big of a deal since Norman isn't that good to begin with, according to Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr.
Harris was asked on Wednesday who he views to be the top five cornerbacks in the NFL right now. He listed himself (obviously), teammate Aqib Talib, Seattle's Richard Sherman, the New York Jets' Darrelle Revis and Arizona's Patrick Peterson.
When asked if he would include Norman somewhere on the list, Harris said, "Nah, you've got to do it more than one year. We've been guys who have done it five years, I've been in five years, I don't know how many years Revis has been in, nine or 10 this year, Talib's done it eight years. It's about being good for a long time, not just one year."
Well, okay then.
It's true that Norman hasn't played at the elite level for very long. The 2015 season was the first year that he was named to a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team since being drafted in the fifth round back in 2012. However, Norman was arguably the best cornerback in the league last year, which has to count for something. The Panthers pulled the tag all because they didn't think a long-term deal between both sides was feasible.
Harris made Denver's roster as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and has since made two Pro Bowls. He has been vocal in his support of Denver's defense this offseason and came out with a strong rebuttal of NFL Network analyst LaDainian Tomlinson's claim that there are no "shutdown" corners in the league right now.
The feisty CB is intent on proving his worth once again in 2016 following a shoulder injury that limited him in the playoffs and the Super Bowl. However, Harris insists that he is completely healed, "100 percent, for sure."
"I'm probably stronger now coming in this season than last year. I did tons of shoulder work this whole offseason to make sure I was (ready)," he said.
