Getty Former Panthers CB Josh Norman #24.
The San Francisco 49ers are just one week away from opening up their regular season but are still trying to perfect their 53-man roster and have signed cornerback Josh Norman, according to FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer.
49ers have agreed to terms with veteran free agent corner Josh Norman to bolster their secondary. @NFLonFOX
The 33-year-old veteran who spent the 2020 season with the Buffalo Bills, has a chance to earn up to $2.5 million with the Niners.
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Norman Will Add Veteran Depth
Norman, who is entering his 10th NFL season, played nine games last year for the Bills, recording 24 tackles, four pass breakups and a 16-yard pick-six in Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins.
He played four seasons for both the Carolina Panthers and Washington Football Team before his one-year stint with Buffalo. According to an older report by CSN Bay Area, the Niners had an interest in Norman back in 2016 but failed to get him to schedule an official visit with the team.
Norman is best known for his 2015 season with the Panthers secondary that helped guide the team to an NFC title and Super Bowl 50 appearance which earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that year. In his nine-year NFL career, he has tallied 95 starts in 120 games. He also has 15 interceptions and 83 pass breakups in that time frame.
Before entering the league, Norman attended Coastal Carolina University in his home state of South Carolina where he appeared in 46 games (39 starts) and registered 196 tackles, 48 passes defensed, 13 interceptions and four forced fumbles.
49ers Release CB Dontae Johnson
In a corresponding move, the 49ers released Dontae Johnson on Monday.
Johnson appeared in 14 games for the Niners last season and had three starts. He ended the year with three passes defensed and a sack while playing 26 percent of defensive snaps and 56 percent of special teams snaps.
As a fourth-round pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, Johnson spent his first four seasons in San Francisco before spending time with the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, and LA Chargers.
With Norman now in the mix, the 49ers’ cornerback depth consists of Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley, K’Waun Williams, Deommodore Lenoir, and Ambry Thomas.
49ers Add CB Davontae Harris to IR
The 49ers recently claimed Davontae Harris off of the waivers after letting quarterback Josh Rosen go. However, Harris was added to the injured reserve list for an unknown injury.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Harris was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. In his three-year NFL career with the Bengals (2018), Denver Broncos (2019-20) and Ravens (2020), he has appeared in 30 games with eight starts and recorded 43 tackles, four passes defended and one forced fumble. He spent part of the 2020 season with both the Broncos and Ravens, appearing in 11 games (two starts) and finishing with 11 tackles, one pass defended and one forced fumble.
He was most recently waived by the Ravens last month before coming to San Francisco.
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