CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Josh Norman ran his Atlanta cafe which sits across from the cigar bar owned by the former Carolina Panthers teammate Cam Newton when interim coach Steve Wilks called the cornerback on emergency duty Sunday night.
Norman, 35, chose to spend the 2022 season getting his business — Omni Coffee & Eggs — off the ground with the idea of only returning to the NFL if the right situation presented itself.
It happened on Saturday when Wilks – who boosted Norman from a fifth-round pick in 2011 to a first-team All-Pro in 2015 – lost the starting cornerback Jaycee Horn (broken wrist) for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay With first place in the NFC South on the line.
Horn had surgery Tuesday and the team will assess in 10 to 12 days whether he can return for the regular-season finale in New Orleans.
Meanwhile, Norman was signed to the practice squad on Monday with plans to elevate him to the 53-man roster in time for the 1 p.m. game against Tom Brady and buccaneers.
Carolina (6-9) can win the division if it beats Tampa Bay (7-8) and New Orleans (6-9). It would also help Wilks build his case as he seeks to move into full-time interim coaching after the season.
“It was really about charity and giving back to these kids and helping out as much as we could,” Norman said Wednesday of his reason for returning. What I love about Wilks is that he has the same mindset of wanting to give back.
“It is truly an honor for us to be here.”
It was the first time Norman had returned to the Carolina locker room since the 2016 offseason, when then-Carolina general manager Dave Gettleman rescinded his franchise offer.
Norman spent the 2016-19 seasons with the Washington Commanders2020 with the Buffalo Tickets and 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers.
Although a lot has changed in Carolina, the scenario she faces is similar to the one Norman faced in 2014 when the Panthers won their last four games to win the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. .
Norman, a young cornerback who powered the 2014 run, doesn’t see why it can’t happen again.
“It’s one of those things where you just use confidence,” Norman said. “Being on that team at the time, having that mindset that no matter what, you’re still in it…what (Wilks) coached, being quick, playing breaking, how to use hands, everything that is still there.
“I took all that when I left here. It’s like riding a bike without training wheels.”
Wilks said Norman looked good in practice Wednesday, the corner’s first full practice with the team. He said the plan is to get Norman off the bench and play away on special packages, admitting Norman is fit but not match form.
Norman can’t say for sure if he would be here if not for the relationship he has with Wilks. But he admitted it was special to be back on the team he helped set the NFL’s best 15-1 record and get to the Super Bowl in 2015.
“I’m just a passenger on this ship,” Norman said. “It’s like a dream or a movie, but it’s actually real and happening. It’s like one of those out-of-body experiences; I’m still trying to process.”
But Norman’s confidence to have to face the Bucs’ wide receivers Julio Jones and mike evanstwo players he boasted of knocking out in his prime, are still there.
“These guys are obviously at the top of their game, even today,” Norman said. “Nothing is going to change that. It’s just because of who they are. At the end of the day, these guys know me, I know them. So we’re going to have fun.”
Sole linebacker Shaq Thompson and deep snapper JJ Jansen remains on Carolina’s roster since the last time Norman played. They see the same swagger and “dawg” now that the cornerback had then.
“He’s always been a big part of what this place has been,” Jansen said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to bring in a veteran, a guy who knows this place, who knows this system, it’s a pretty unique opportunity in Week 17 of an NFL season.
“It’s good to know how a guy is going to operate under fire. I’m glad he’s here. He has the opportunity to help us in the run.”
Jansen was not at all surprised to learn that Norman and Newton had businesses across from each other. There are no two players who better defined the 2015 squad by their competitiveness and talkativeness.
It came to a head in training camp in 2015 when Norman intercepted a pass from Newton and Newton knocked him down for a tackle that turned into an all-out brawl.
Since then, they are closer than ever. They even send customers to each other.
Norman said it was no different being across the street than being across the line of scrimmage.
“We are not competitors,” Norman said. “We really are excellent business friends.”
Although he hasn’t spoken to Newton about returning to Carolina, which Newton did last season for an unsuccessful stretch run, he’s sure Newton is as excited for him as he is for him. himself.
“I couldn’t write the script any better than it is,” Norman said. “We have an opportunity here to do something big.”
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