Former Texas Longhorn and undrafted free agent wide receiver Isaiah Bond is now second behind starting receiver Jerry Jeudy for the Browns following Cedric Tillman being placed on the injury reserve, and now, after months of hardship and misjudgement, it is time for Bond to prove himself in the big leagues, and the perfect moment to seize the opportunity is now.
Isaiah Bond who was a projected day two or early day three selection as one of the more exciting receivers in the draft ultimately went undrafted after a long string of investigations following a sexual assault allegation; however, after being signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent, Cleveland was a place to prove himself with no major pressure, however now, a new role and responsibility has fallen on his shoulders, and as almost a starting receiver, Bond has plenty of chances to prove himself.
As one of the quicker growing prospects in the league, last week Bond saw a massive increase in workload, playing 55% of snaps, catching three passes for 58 yards, for almost 20 yards per catch. With slot receiver Cedric Tillman suffering an injury and now being on the end of the injury reserve list, Bond’s workload will only begin to increase, and with rookie QB Dillon Gabriel stepping into the shoes as QB1, the rookie out of Texas could get even more targets, and had he continue to play the shirt route, slot receiver in Cleveland, he could well become Gabriel’s main target as the easy option this week.
Coming up against the Vikings who have played some up and down defense so far this season, Bond could find himself lots of space, and that speed and clean route running we saw in college could be deployed fully in the wake of his new role. Given the circumstances and how well liked and how exciting he was in college, Bond is writing himself a whole new story, and sure beating Jerry Jeudy to the starting job as a rookie isn't going to be easy, but from this week forward he will have plenty of chances.
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