The wiseguys of Twitter/X certainly had their field day with Cleveland Browns second-year receiver Isaiah Bond on Sunday, after Bond finally got an opportunity to play more in the wake of the head injury suffered by KC Concepcion in the first quarter after a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit from Minkah Fitzpatrick. Bond had three catches for 74 yards, the second-most of his career, but it was the plays he did not make in the Week 5 loss–a 17-12 slog against the Jets–that stood out.
The biggest mistake was Bond’s inability to bring in a pass from Deshaun Watson with a little more than two minutes to go in the game and the Browns trailing by five points. Cleveland had the ball on a second-and-19 play from their own 37-yard line, and Watson found Bond, open, over the middle at the Jets’ 45-yard line, a sure first-down play. But the pass bounced off Bond’s hands and fell incomplete.
Browns Struggled in the Rain
It was one of at least two drops that Bond had on a rainy day for the Browns, and it was a lamentable performance for a player who was once considered a potential first-round pick before he went undrafted in 2025 because of predraft sexual assault allegations that were later “no billed” and not charged. The Browns signed him as a UDFA, and Bond had a very good training camp heading into the season.
But Concepcion’s concussion was where the rubber could meet the road for Bond. He did not take advantage.
As “The Dawgs” podcast wrote on Twitter/X: “I know it’s raining, but I think we can all see why Isaiah Bond isn’t playing more.”
Nick Pedone of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland wrote, “Isaiah Bond is doing the absolute least possible with this big opportunity…”
Daryl Ruiter, also of 92.3 The Fan, added, “Today was a bad day to throw the ball to Isaiah Bond.”
Deshaun Watson ‘Proud’ of Isaiah Bond
But Watson himself was a bit more empathetic to Bond. That was probably wise, since the Browns might need to use Bond next week against the Ravens if Concepcion is still out.
Said Watson: “I am proud of him. It’s a big role. KC was a big factor in this game plan. For IB to not necessarily get those reps that KC took all week, for him to come in and try to perform and be in the right spot in the right time, you just got to be proud and look at it in an encouraging way. It’s all perspective. Right now, of course, is not a good feeling. We lost. But at the end of the day, it’s a lot more football left.
“Came out healthy and guys have a lot more opportunities to watch the tape and learn from it. That’s the positive. Again, everything is perspective depending on how you look at it. When you watch the tape, it’s not always bad and it’s not always good. Gotta find the middle ground.”
Browns’ Deshaun Watson Sends Message to WR After Brutal Drops