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Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury blurted one superlative about Andy Isabella before he further discussed the third-year receiver’s greatest assets with the media following the team’s Wednesday morning practice.
“Speed,” Kingsbury said.
That’s why Isabella name was not among the final 15 players released shortly after the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline for the 2021 regular season at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
Isabella spent 15 days on the Cardinals Reserve/COVID-19 list and returned to practice on Aug. 23. Isabella was sidelined for both of the team’s preseason games against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 6 and 13, respectively.
Similar to the Cardinals’ top wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ unique talent which all starts with his hands, the 24-year-old Massachusetts product Isabella’s unique talent all starts with his feet.
Despite his 60% catch rate last season being slightly down from 69.2% in his rookie year, Isabella’s performance as a backup wide receiver through 13 game appearances in 2020 produced 224 yards from 21 receptions, two touchdowns. His 2019 NFL Combine 40-yard dash turbo speed of 4.31 seconds was another reason to keep him.
“His explosiveness, his speed, he can play inside and outside, very conscientious player, can play special teams, can be in the return game,” Kingsbury said. “There’s a lot of versatility there for kind of that slot that he’s in that makes a lot of sense for us.”
‘I wasn’t worried about not being here’
Isabella’s preseason absence didn’t allow him to prove where he should be in the pecking order among the Cardinals seven wide receivers at training camp, or the five kept on their depth chart for the regular season.
But he didn’t feel much angst about potentially being cut this week.
“They don’t tell you. If they don’t come get you then, then I guess you’re safe,” Isabella said with a chuckle about the management’s roster decisions. “I wasn’t worried about not being here. It sucks the position I’m in. I gotta really fight my way to get put back on the field now that I was way behind, so it’s frustrating, but I’m just doing what I can.”
Among the wide receivers cut by the Cardinals were A.J. Richardson, Greg Dortch, Rico Gafford, Andre Baccellia, and KeeSean Johnson before Tuesday’s deadline.
The five who remain on the Cardinals roster are veterans — Hopkins and A.J. Green, four-year returnee Christian Kirk, Antoine Wesley and Isabella.
“I think it’s one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL, to be honest. So much talent,” Isabella said.
Johnson, who was released on Monday, was the biggest surprise among the cuts along with Dortch, who staged a solid preseason performance before suffering a minor leg injury during the second to last week of training camp.
Isabella and Johnson grew a friendship during their mutual time in Arizona after both were drafted in 2019.
“It was tough. I think this is what he wanted,” Isabella said about Johnson, before he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad on Thursday. “He was betting on himself and if he gets the right opportunity, he’s gonna kill it where he’s at, so I’m excited for him.”
Isabella was looking forward to the Cardinals final preseason game at New Orleans Saints on Aug. 27 to get back on the field. But the game was canceled because of Hurricane Ida’s impact, while the Cardinals were flying to New Orleans.
“That was my game to kind of show myself,” Isabella said. “You can practice as much as you want but games are what matter. So, it was tough losing that for sure.”
Even though the COVID-19 list doesn’t factor into the team’s final roster count, unforeseen circumstances such as catching the coronavirus can cause players to quickly lose jobs as quickly as they can rise up and achieve them.
“I was a little beat up. I had a sore throat and some body aches,” Isabella said about when he had COVID-19 symptoms. “I thought I was maybe just practicing hard for five days straight. But then the test came back positive. I wasn’t too surprised. After two days of resting, I was completely fine.”
Isabella did running drills and other exercises in a local park to stay fresh for his return to practice.
“Just being out and being at home while everyone else is playing, so you can’t really compete for a job,” Isabella said. “I thought I came back and practiced well and I think that’s why they kept me around.”
Moore and Isabella’s speed together
Kingsbury pocketed Isabella’s speed with the Cardinals rookie WR Rondale Moore, their second-round draft pick out of Purdue.
He’s another versatile speed demon who Kingsbury used for kick returns, and could be opposite Isabella on the field during this season.
“He’s got a lot of skills and I think he’s going to be a really good player. He’s fun to watch and I think we just learn from each other and I’m excited for him,” Isabella said.
Moore recorded the 2021 NFL Combine second-best 40-yard dash time at 4.29 seconds.
He had six receptions of nine targets for 38 yards, and a kick return for 11 through the Cardinals’ two preseason games.
“Speed like that is rare, and so we’ll see how it all works out,” Kingsbury said. “Rondale brings a different element with the quick twitch in space, sudden movement stuff, and Andy is a real burner down the field. So, we can definitely have them on their same field at the same time if that’s kind of how the game plan plays out.”
Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.
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