Eagles ready for test from Skins' Josh Norman

Josh Norman once looked forward to the Eagles-Redskins game for a reason that no longer exists. In a magazine interview during the summer, the Redskins star cornerback said he couldn't wait to play Sam Bradford twice this season. The Eagles traded Bradford before the season even began, but they still see Norman twice this year.

The first time is on Sunday, when Norman will be the marquee player on a Redskins defense that allows 262 passing yards per game. After Norman signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Redskins to become the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL this season, the immediate intrigue about joining the NFC East was watching Norman against Odell Beckham Jr. or Dez Bryant. The Eagles don't have a wide receiver of that stature, so Norman might see time on a few different Eagles receivers.

"He'll move around a little bit, but for the most part, he'll play that left corner," said Jordan Matthews, the Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver. "But anything can happen. He can play both sides, and he actually has a pretty good game inside, too, so you've got to be ready for him."

If Norman spends most of his time on the left side, then he'll see much of Nelson Agholor. But the Redskins play a lot of zone coverage, so it's not strictly Norman in man-to-man situations. Norman has 24 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble this season.

"It's been a little bit of everything," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "They'll play corners-over-zone and corners-over-man. That's a little different than some teams. Some teams will go corners-over and it will all be man coverage. This team will do both. He can show up in a few places."

When Washington played the Giants, Norman followed Beckham wherever the star receiver went. Beckham caught seven passes for 121 yards on 11 targeted passes. Norman had six tackles and two pass deflections. The two engaged in a rivalry that extended back to last season, and their confrontation became midweek fodder leading up to the game.

The Eagles are not as concerned about trash talk on Sunday.

"To be honest, a lot of that stuff is [for] television," Matthews said. "I played Josh Norman [for] two years, and he said hi and bye. That's the extent of it. A lot of that stuff gets boosted up, especially when they have a guy who gets talked to or gets into it with. . . . I watched the whole game with him playing Antonio Brown. . . . I don't think I saw them talk to each other once."

The Eagles played against the Panthers in each of the last two seasons. In those meetings, Norman clapped his hands twice before lining up against Matthews. There was nothing else that followed. Matthews said that if a cornerback started trash-talking him, he would just say "whatever."

There might be more juice to the Norman-Eagles matchup if Bradford was still involved. When the comments about Bradford came out, some Eagles defended their quarterback and others ignored Norman. Matthews said the comments were not about Bradford's supporting cast, including the wide receivers Norman will see Sunday. Tight end Zach Ertz shot back during the summer that he looked forward to seeing Norman in a new scheme.

"He looks good," Ertz said. "He's a good player. Obviously, they paid all that money to get a good player. He's playing at a high level for them."

When assessing a secondary that has lost safeties DeAngelo Hall and David Bruton and has dealt with injuries to cornerbacks, Matthews identified Norman's competitive spirit as a reason the Redskins have been able to stay afloat.

"Obviously you see that when Josh came, he brought an attitude," Matthews said. "That's always going to help. And the team that he left, a little bit of his attitude did, too. It's just the reality of it. And people don't understand there's a swagger that comes with that. He's a testament to how they've been able to do it even with guys out."

With Norman's presence and injuries elsewhere in Washington's secondary, the Eagles might look to the other receivers. There could be opportunities for Matthews in the slot against rookie cornerback Kendall Fuller.

Quarterback Carson Wentz could also include Ertz, who has had two of the best games of his career against this Redskins during the last two years - a 15-catch, 115-yard performance in December 2014 and a 13-catch, 122-yard effort last December.

When looking in Norman's direction, Wentz must be cognizant of the cornerback's baiting him. Norman, who had four interceptions last season, can make it look as if a receiver is open before jumping the route at the last moment.

"We'll be aware of where he's at," Wentz said. "He's a playmaker, and we know that. We respect the heck out of him, but at the same time, it doesn't change our approach too much. We give him his respect and we know what type of player he is."

Cornerback Leodis McKelvin missed practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was limited with an ankle injury but is expected to play.

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm