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 Washington Redskins star cornerback said he couldn't wait to play Sam Bradford twice this season. The Philadelphia Eagles traded Bradford before the season even began, but they still see Norman twice this year.

The first time is today, 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 Washington 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 get time with a few different Philadelphia 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 New York 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 hijinks became midweek fodder leading up to the game.

Philadelphia is not as concerned about trash talk today.

“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.”

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 if a cornerback started trash talking him, he would just say “whatever” and be unmoved by the banter.

There might be more juice to the Redskins-Eagles matchup with Norman 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 today. 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 Washington has 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.”

When looking in Norman's direction, quarterback Carson Wentz must be cognizant of the cornerback baiting him. Norman, who had four interceptions last season, can make it look like 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.”