Cleveland Browns wide receiver Isaiah Bond is heading into his second NFL season with a new number.
The Browns announced on social media that he is switching from No. 16 to No. 0 — a number that opened up following the midseason trade of cornerback Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Newsome had worn No. 0 since 2023, when the NFL changed its rules to permit players to wear the number. He was the first Brown to do so. Bond will be the second.
The number change was not part of the Browns’ broader wave of jersey announcements. Among those was quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who will return to the No. 2 he wore throughout high school and his college stops at Jackson State and Colorado after wearing No. 12 during his rookie season.
Isaiah Bond Signed as UDFA With Browns
Bond’s path to the NFL was anything but straightforward. Bond spent two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Texas ahead of the 2024 season. At Alabama, he caught 65 passes for 888 yards and five touchdowns over two years. At Texas, he added 34 receptions for 540 yards and five scores in 14 games under Steve Sarkisian.
Entering the pre-draft process, Bond was widely projected as a mid-round pick. His speed drew consistent praise from evaluators.
But ahead of the draft, Bond turned himself in to police on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault. He was released after posting a $25,000 bond. Bond denied the allegations in a public statement, saying the claims were “patently false” and that he was cooperating fully with law enforcement. The legal uncertainty was enough to push him off draft boards entirely. Bond went undrafted.
The Browns, however, did their homework. General manager Andrew Berry said the team conducted a thorough vetting process that included an independent polygraph test and review of information from both sides of the case. Satisfied with what they found, Cleveland signed Bond to a fully guaranteed, $3 million deal just before the third preseason game.
Browns Load Up at Receiver in Draft
Bond is entering next season looking to build on a modest rookie campaign. Bond finished with 18 catches for 338 yards and no touchdowns in 16 games, starting two of those contests.
The Browns were thin at wide receiver last season but he’ll have to earn his reps moving forward. The Browns used two of their top selections in the draft to overhaul the wide receiver room. With the No. 24 overall pick, Cleveland took Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion. Then, with the 39th pick to open the second round, the Browns doubled down, selecting Washington’s Denzel Boston.
“We’re going to bring a good mix of explosiveness and having explosive plays after explosive plays,” Boston said after being drafted. “Both of us have generated tons of touchdowns throughout our college careers.”
The two rookies join a room that already includes Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Concepcion and Boston figure to push for immediate roles within the offense under first-year head coach Todd Monken, whose offense will need reliable weapons regardless of who wins the quarterback competition among Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel.
Browns Make Announcement on Change at Receiver