The Cleveland Browns' wide receiver corps got a massive boost with Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. They've become the team's undisputed go-to guys in the passing game along with tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
Isaiah Bond drew rave reviews throughout training camp as a big-play threat. Naturally, he was the next man up when the Browns needed someone to fill in for Concepcion after he suffered a concussion during Sunday's loss to the New York Jets.
Bond's final numbers might make people think that he had a great game, as he led the team with 74 receiving yards and averaged a whopping 24.2 yards per reception.
In reality, he reaffirmed his status as a boom-or-bust, volatile weapon.
Isaiah Bond isn't ready for a bigger role with the Cleveland Browns
Bond bulked up and looks shiftier in his second year, but that doesn't help when he can't fix fundamental and technical mistakes. He jumps to catch passes, a textbook no-no that has haunted him since his college days.
He did that again on Sunday. What should've been an easy completion for a big gain and a first down was a head-scratching drop because he jumped to catch a perfectly catchable ball. He also had a wide-open drop in the end zone.
At least six of Bond's seven targets were catchable. Granted, it was raining, but he's getting paid to catch passes for a living, so watching him still deal with the same issues that plagued him before he made it to the league is a major red flag.
In an ideal world, Bond would step up as the Browns' No. 3 wide receiver, with Jerry Jeudy either stepping back or eventually getting traded. He's got the tools, and it was somewhat surprising to see that he hadn't gotten many opportunities over the first four games. The Jets game proved why.
Of course, being so harsh on a second-year player who struggled in poor weather conditions might be overreacting, but this isn't about some miscues here and there. It's about a player showing no signs of improvement or development in his second year in the league.
Concepcion will be back in no time, and Bond will return to his reserve role as a result. But it would have been better for the team to see him give the wide receiver room a jolt and start forcing Monken's hand to keep him on the field.
Instead, he confirmed fans' and analysts' biggest concern about him: He's a fast guy, but he might also be a one-trick pony.
Bond has time to change that narrative, but opportunities like Sunday only come around so often for young NFL depth players.
Add us as a preferred source on Google