Andy Isabella has been released by the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, and it’s fair to assume New England Patriots fans will be shouting for the organization to take a flier on the University of Massachusetts product.
After all, Isabella has been linked to the Patriots ever since the 2019 NFL Draft when Bill Belichick’s team reportedly was “really interested” in the shifty slot man. The fact the Patriots drafted wide receiver N’Keal Harry with their first-round pick in the same draft created never-ending speculation New England and Arizona could swap wideouts as each struggled to catch on with the team that drafted them. It never happened, of course, with Harry instead being traded to the Chicago Bears before the 2022-23 season started.
Now, after seeing just 54 targets in 39 games with the Cardinals, Isabella is on the open market available for any team to sign.
The Patriots already have depth at the receiver position with Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne. The limited amount of snaps actually has created a logjam at the position with Bourne playing 35% of snaps or less in three of New England’s first four games. It’s believed by many that Bourne should be playing more, depicting how adding to that group might further hinder those already on the roster, who all arguably are better than Isabella.
And while the interest in Isabella might have been there prior to the 2019 draft, his 4.31 40-yard dash certainly standing out, he hasn’t exactly put together a tape for NFL evaluators to salivate over. Isabella has merely 447 yards receiving on 33 catches and three touchdowns in three-plus seasons. From a production standpoint, Harry actually had better numbers across the board despite playing in half the number of games as Isabella. It’s also not the same group as it would have been should Isabella entered the fold for the 2019 season with Meyers now having proven himself to be among the most reliable pass-catchers for the Patriots.
So while Patriots fans might not want Isabella to return to New England, and it seems some do…
… It’s nevertheless difficult to imagine him playing a key role in a group already built on depth.
