Kevin Stefanski isaiah bond browns signing
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Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns are expected to add rookie WR Isaiah Bond soon.
After the NFL had a few days to review his legal case, the Cleveland Browns got an update Friday night on their anticipated addition of rookie undrafted free agent WR Isaiah Bond. His status has been up in the air for some time due to legal troubles, though that saga now appears to be behind him.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of clevelanddotcom, Bond will fly into Cleveland Saturday night and “will likely be signed by Sunday.” Bond himself announced his signing on Thursday, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter quickly clarified that “no deal has been finalized.” While the deal hasn’t been signed yet, momentum is quickly building in that direction.
This move has been anticipated for some time, as Aaron Wilson reported back in April that Bond took an official pre-draft “30” visit with the Browns, among a handful of other teams. Wilson also reported that Bond had an official meeting with the team at the Combine. However, things changed when Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Bond turned himself in to Frisco, TX police on April 10 for an outstanding warrant for sexual assault.
There was little in the way of updates on the case until Thursday, when ESPN reported that Bond’s case had been no-billed and he wouldn’t face charges. Cabot added that the NFL was reviewing the case for potential league discipline. In yesterday’s update, however, she added that “no one is expecting NFL discipline,” after Bond’s case was dismissed. All signs point to Bond officially joining the team this weekend.
Isaiah Bond Was Surprisingly a Draft Snub
isaiah bond browns update signing
Stacy Revere/GettyUndrafted rookie Isaiah Bond is expected to sign with the Cleveland Browns soon.
While he was once highly regarded as a potential first-round pick, Bond’s draft-day fall began long before his legal troubles arose. The Alabama transfer was one of Texas’ most anticipated additions entering the 2024 college football season, but the junior receiver managed just 34 catches for 540 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games. Bond only topped 100 receiving yards in a game for the Longhorns once, and he never had more than five catches in a single contest, a feat he matched twice.
Even after his disappointing final collegiate season, Bond had his fans in draft circles. With his combination of speed and fluidity in space, the upside was tantalizing for many. Bond’s track-level speed was his defining trait, and he boasted that he would beat the Combine record of another former Texas receiver, Xavier Worthy, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN. Worthy ran a scorching 4.21 40-yard dash, fastest ever recorded at the NFL Combine. Bond didn’t come close to that, with his official time clocking in at 4.39 seconds. That’s a fast time, but it doesn’t put him in rare company. In fact, eight receivers beat Bond’s time at the 2025 Combine alone.
Without true game-breaking timed speed, Bond’s stock began to fall. Per Wide Left’s Arif Hasan’s media consensus big board, Bond checked in at No. 106 overall, roughly a fourth-round pick. That’s quite a fall from the once-lofty expectations of a Day 1 selection.
How Does Isaiah Bond Fit in Cleveland?
Now that his signing in Cleveland is expected to be finalized, Bond joins a crowded yet beatable depth chart at wide receiver. Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman appear to be set at the top, but behind them lies opportunity. Jamari Thrash is in the midst of a good camp, and free-agent signee Diontae Johnson is also in the mix. David Bell has made the roster every year since being drafted in 2022, though he’s currently sitting on the active/non-football injury list. He can be moved to the reserve/non-football injury list prior to roster cutdowns so as not to count against the 53-man roster while he heals.
Other receivers currently on the Browns’ 90-man roster include DeAndre Carter, Kaden Davis, Gage Larvadain, Cade McDonald, and Kisean Johnson. Most NFL teams don’t carry more than five or six receivers on their active roster, so Bond needs to beat out at least a handful of these players to earn a roster spot. He’s certainly talented enough to do so, but signing after camp has essentially ended and with just one preseason game left to go makes it a challenging proposition.