So we’re still a week and half before NFL Free Agency officially gets underway, but the Buffalo Bills are already making moves and signed their first free agent this offseason.

Sources: #Bills have agreed to terms with CB Josh Norman to a one-year deal worth $6 million base value with incentives that can get him to $8 million. Norman reunites with Sean McDermott, his defensive coordinator all four seasons with the #Panthers.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2020

So before getting into how he fits in Buffalo, let’s take a look at Norman’s career. Obviously Norman became a household name in the 2015 season when he was selected First Team All Pro, had 18 pass deflections and 4 interceptions with the Carolina Panthers. Norman was looking for a big pay day and the Panthers weren’t willing to pay up. So he signed a 5 year 75 million dollar deal with the Washington Redskins. Sadly, he didn’t live up to that contract. In his 4 seasons in Washington, Norman started in 53 games, recorded 235 tackles and 7 interceptions. Again the stats themselves aren’t terrible, but he failed to live up to his 75 million dollar contract.

Now Norman has one more chance with this one year deal with Buffalo. I like this signing for many reasons. First off you’re buying low on Norman. Some would say 6 million dollars for one season maybe a lot, but again it’s one year and the Bills have over 80 million dollars in cap space this offseason. They can afford a one year flyer on Norman no problem.

Second is that Norman has already played under Sean McDermott when he was the defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers. So he already knows the Bills defensive scheme as it was the same defense that made him a household name.

Josh Norman playing under Sean McDermott in the Bills’ system with that strong talent around him will look way better than the Josh Norman we saw last season. A smart hedge by Buffalo.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 9, 2020

Third and final point is that with Norman coming to Buffalo, he no longer will have to be the number one corner on the team. Tre’Davious White is the star number one cornerback on the Bills. Norman will be competing against Levi Wallace for the second cornerback spot opposite White. Norman no longer has to feel the pressure of being “the guy” and can focus on improving his game. After all, this is a one year deal and if he plays really well he can cash in a year from now. If not, well the Bills “waste” 6 million dollars which is really nothing in the world of NFL money.

Now the only real downside of this deal is the Norman is 32 years old and this past season was a nightmare for him. Norman played so badly that he was benched in Week 12 and mainly played special teams the rest of the season. But again, this is a one year prove it deal for Norman. If he wants to have an NFL future he needs to ball out this season. He’s making a smart gamble going to the Bills with an already strong defense and doesn’t need to feel pressured to be the number one cornerback. Plus for the Bills, adding more depth to your defense is never a bad thing and if Norman has a bounce back year, the Bills will reap the rewards. This is a smart deal on both sides. Now it remains to be seen what the Bills will do the rest of this offseason. But taking a chance on Josh Norman is a great start for the Buffalo Bills in free agency. Now let’s see where things go from here.