Josh Norman calls 2016 his best season as a pro

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said in a recent interview with ESPN that 2016 was “By far for me … the best season I’ve had.”
Norman earned All-Pro honors after a standout year in 2016 in Carolina in which he tallied four interceptions, two pick-sixes, forced three fumbles, and ultimately helped Carolina reach Super Bowl 50. His overall grade of 87.9 and his coverage grade of 88.5 ranked the third highest among the league’s corners. He allowed the lowest passer rating of any other cornerback on throws into his coverage and (54.0) and allowed 0.66 yards per cover snap, finishing second only to Patrick Peterson.
He signed with Washington in 2016 in a deal that made him the highest-paid corner in the league. He finished the season with an overall grade of 82.0 that ranked 22nd among his peers. He allowed a passer rating of 74.3 on throws into his coverage, ranking him 14th of 81 qualifying corners (minimum 570 snaps).
Norman allowed 1.01 yards per cover snap, which ranked 23rd. He allowed a reception once every 13.5 snaps in coverage, the eighth-best mark in the league in 2016.
In his interview Norman stated, “Last year was the year I could stand on my own and say, ‘OK, I can play whatever you want me to play, coach, put me in.’” In Carolina, where the team runs a zone-heavy base defense, he played 77.3 percent of his coverage snaps in zone. Transitioning to Washington, that figure fell to only 51.9 percent. His adaptability supports Norman’s claim and, despite not putting up the same impressive numbers as 2015, he still allowed a lower than average passer rating on a much broader array of coverages.