Josh Norman reportedly will shadow Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday
Sunday’s Washington Redskins-New York Giants game just got a whole lot more interesting. After spending the first two weeks of the season primarily on the left side of the defense, Josh Norman will be moving around a lot more.
According to ESPN, Norman will shadow Odell Beckham Jr. in coverage, following him everywhere except in the slot.
Josh Norman will go "anywhere Odell goes...except for slot" in Sunday's game against the Giants. (via @BrittMcHenry) pic.twitter.com/RKB9M9SOlS
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 21, 2016
Following ESPN's report that Norman will be in coverage on Beckham all game long, Norman spoke out saying he "didn't get the memo."
Of course, the history between these two players is well-documented. The two went at it last season when the Panthers and Giants squared off, resulting in multiple unnecessary roughness penalties and extracurricular activity after each play. Norman even said Beckham has "got the maturity of a little kid" after the game, which didn't sit well with the receiver.
In addition to their postgame comments, Norman and Beckham have exchanged words and expressed disdain for each other regularly since last season. Beckham claims to have made Norman as famous as he is today.
"The reason that he’s become so relevant is because of me," he said.
Norman responded shortly thereafter, saying this.
“He’s relevant because of a catch. But we’re not gonna go there. I’m not into the war of words.”
It's great to see Jay Gruden has changed his mind on how he'll handle Norman's assignments. Keeping him on one side obviously didn't work against Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant, so why continue a bad trend?
The Redskins shouldn’t be concerned about Beckham doing significant damage in the slot, either. This season, he has yet to be targeted when running routes as a slot receiver, and last season, he was only targeted 38 times.
Beckham has no slot targets this season. Last season: 29 catches in 38 targets for 431 yards, 2 TDs. https://t.co/B79G33tsvC
— Doug Farrar (@BR_DougFarrar) September 21, 2016
This is a must-watch matchup as it's sure to feature plenty of jawing and a boatload of great plays by both players.
