The Buffalo Bills added some competition to their wide receiver depth chart on Friday when they signed wide receiver Andy Isabella. Isabella, 26, will battle for one of the final wide receiver roster spots on the team at training camp and throughout the preseason.
So who is Andy Isabella? Here are five things to know about the WR.
“Cartoon fast”
There’s fast and then there’s Andy Isabella fast.
Isabella ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. The blazing time came as no surprise to Isabella’s high school coach Larry Pinto who described him as “cartoon fast” in an NFL.com article.
If he sticks on the Bills’ roster, he could bring Sonic The Hedgehog or Roadrunner type speed to the Bills’ offense.
Converted to wide receiver in sophomore season of college
Isabella would land at UMass. After initially being recruited as a running back, Isabella converted to wide receiver in his sophomore season. From his sophomore season to his senior year, Isabella would record 229 receptions for 3,519 yards and 30 touchdowns. His best season came as a senior when he posted a 102-1,698-13 stat line in 12 games.
2019 second round pick
After a phenomenal collegiate career, Isabella was selected with the No. 62 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. For whatever reason, Isabella has not found much success in the league. To date, the receiver has hauled in just 33 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns during stints with the Cardinals (2019-2022) and Baltimore Ravens (2022).
Shoveling will not be a problem
If Isabella cracks the 53-man roster, he will be ready for the snow in Western New York. In his NFL.com draft article, Isabella’s coaches talked about how the receiver would shovel the 12 inches of snow off the field well ahead of practice.
“The school always plowed the field for us after snowstorms, but they hadn’t done it yet and I had to get the work in,” Isabella said. “And of course, as soon as I got done, the plows came out.”
Isabella’s strength coach Joe Connelly caught Isabella at the tail end of his two-hour shoveling session.
“January in Amherst might as well be Alaska,” Connolly said. “You barely see the ground for months, and Andy is out there digging a path to run sprints on his own. It was ridiculous.”
Reunited with Trent Sherfield & KeeSean Johnson
Two of Isabella’s teammates from his time with the Cardinals, Trent Sherfield and KeeSean Johnson, are currently on the Bills’ roster. Sherfield’s roster spot is all but locked up after a career-year with the Miami Dolphins and a strong start with the Bills, but Isabella could be fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster against his other former teammate from Arizona.
