The Buffalo Bills have brought back a veteran cornerback, signing former All-Pro corner Josh Norman to their practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.
Norman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft by the Carolina Panthers, where Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane worked at the time. He spent the first four seasons of his career in Carolina, eventually putting together an All-Pro campaign in 2015.
Following a four-year stint with Washington, Norman reunited with McDermott and Beane in Buffalo for the 2020 season. He played in nine regular-season games and started three that year, taking the spot of then-starting corner Levi Wallace after the latter went down with an injury. He also played in Buffalo's run to the AFC title game, where the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
His tenure with the Bills lasted just that one season, though, and he played in 2021 for the San Francisco 49ers. He sat out most of the 2022 season before re-signing with Carolina's practice squad, then playing the final two games of the regular season. He had yet to sign with a team in 2023, but with Buffalo facing injuries to Tre'Davious White (Achilles), Taron Johnson (leg), DaQuan Jones (pec) and Matt Milano (knee/leg), among others, it apparently felt a need for a veteran in the secondary.
The 35-year-old Norman obviously has intense familiarity with Buffalo's staff and its defensive scheme, so as long as he's healthy and in shape it shouldn't take him too long to get up to speed. As a practice squad signee, though, there is no guarantee he sees game action.