Josh Norman praises new Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks

The first defensive backs coach of Josh Norman’s career was Steve Wilks. Norman praised the new Arizona Cardinals head coach after his hiring was confirmed on Monday.

In 2012, Josh Norman came into the NFL as an unheralded player. Norman played his college ball at Coastal Carolina, a school that hadn’t been particularly notable for their football prowess. After a solid college career, Norman impressed at the East-West Shrine Game and proceeded to become a fifth round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers. He came to the Panthers as a potential packed player, but few saw his rise to the top coming.

After a decent couple of seasons to start Norman’s career, he started to take off in his third year and became an elite player. His ability to provide excellent, physical coverage allowed him to make the Pro Bowl in 2015 and subsequently he led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50, where they lost to the Broncos. Norman had, in a short period of time, become one of the better cornerbacks in the league. The Redskins are now the beneficiaries of his transformation, and the team and Norman alike definitely owes part of his success to Steve Wilks.

In 2012, Wilks became the defensive backs coach for the Panthers. This was after he spent seven seasons in the same position for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and the San Diego Chargers. He came in as a great option for the team, and he has certainly lived up to his billing.

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As Wilks worked with the Panthers, he has developed several solid, young cornerbacks into stars. Norman is one, and most recently, James Bradberry has become a No. 1 corner for the Panthers. Wilks’ experience as a defensive backs coach and his one year as defensive coordinator made him an attractive target as a head coach. And now, he will be one for the Arizona Cardinals.

Norman, for one, is excited about the possibilities for Wilks. He said the following to Patrick Peterson on Twitter about the abilities of Wilks as a head coach.

Norman has a point. If Wilks was able to help Norman develop, getting him to work with Peterson, who has elite athleticism, could pay huge dividends. Either way, Wilks’ addition for the Cardinals will be a positive one.

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In the event that Wilks succeeds in Arizona, it’s likely that Peterson will play at a very high level and the Cardinals defense will continue to succeed. Given their need at the No. 2 corner position, perhaps they will target Bashaud Breeland to fix that position. Because of Norman’s recommendation, Breeland should have interest in joining the team provided that he doesn’t return to Washington, which seems unlikely. And if he does go to Arizona, Wilks could make him into a star.