When cornerback Josh Norman signed with the Redskins this offseason, plenty of people noted that he’d now be facing Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant twice a season.
Norman’s previous matchup with Beckham got out of hand on the field and both players have fueled the fire ahead of the next meeting with comments that show there’s little respect for the other guy. The same hasn’t been true of Norman and Bryant.
Norman said over the summer that Bryant “goes after the ball like no other receiver” and that facing the Cowboy star brings out the best in him. On Tuesday, Bryant said the feeling is mutual and that he’s excited about the chance to play against Norman this weekend.
“I can’t wait,” Bryant told the Dallas Morning News. “I think it’s going to be exciting for both sides. We look forward to playing some great football. ... He has earned his respect in this league. When you go up against a guy like that, you’re going to have bring your best because if you don’t, he’ll get the best of you.”
The question for Sunday is how much time the two men will actually spend playing one-on-one. Norman didn’t spend Monday night locked up exclusively with Antonio Brown, something that coach Jay Gruden doesn’t sound like he’s planning to change despite Brown’s big plays against Bashaud Breeland. Bryant offered a no comment followed by “LOL” when asked about that approach to defending Brown, so we’ll have to see how much laughter this week’s plan elicits.