Through two games, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Isaiah Bond has been quiet, with the rookie catching just two passes for 11 yards on four targets.
Despite that quiet start to his Browns career, NFL insider Dan Graziano believes we need to be keeping our eyes on the Texas product as a "second-half breakout candidate."
While his role is small now, Graziano thinks that could change, while also noting that the Browns "have plans" for the 21-year-old.
"A name to file away and remember as a potential second-half breakout candidate: Cleveland rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond," Graziano wrote. "He signed late after going undrafted because of sexual assault charges that were eventually dropped, so he's getting up to speed in the offense. But the Browns have plans for him, and don't be surprised to see him work his way into a larger role as the season goes along."
Coming out of college, Bond was widely considered a Day 2 pick and a top-10 wide receiver in the 2025 NFL draft.
However, as Graziano mentions, sexual assault accusations against Bond led to every team in the NFL passing on him. Ultimately, the case against Bond was dropped, clearing the way for him to sign with a team.
"I'm determined to prove the Browns organization and everyone who believes in me right for putting their trust in me," Bond said after the case was closed.
Bond is getting decent playing time early on, with the rookie seeing 33% of the snaps over the first two weeks, which shows a fair amount of trust in him from Cleveland's coaching staff.
That is no doubt a good sign for his chances of seeing the field more and more as the season progresses.
However, actually getting targets is going to be tough, as the Browns also have Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and David Njoku as their top-three options in the crowded passing attack.
Adding to that, the inevitable switch to one of the rookie quarterbacks will also make it difficult for Bond to break out in the second half of the season.
Something that would provide a boost for Bond's stock is if the Browns decided to trade one of the aforementioned wide receivers at the deadline to clear the path for more snaps and targets.
That feels unlikely given the Browns' need to support their young signal-callers when they do eventually turn to them.
Do we expect to see more out of Bond as the season progresses? Sure, but expecting a break out might be expecting too much.
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