The Chicago Bears have been looking around for cheap wide receivers with pedigree. It led them to Dante Pettis, a former second-round pick, and Tajae Sharpe, a small-school player who once created noise in NFL circles. Both have been bouncing around the NFL on multiple teams.
One player who is younger than both, but has the same second-round pedigree as Pettis, with the same small school rising as Sharpe is Andy Isabella. Isabella was a second-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. The Cardinals drafted him ahead of D.K. Metcalf.
By all accounts, Isabella has not fit in with the Cardinals. One issue is Kliff Kingsberry not using him properly. The Cardinals try to use Isabella as a shift slot wideout when is actually a deep threat who is best on the outside.
At the same time, Isabella has to earn those reps, and he has not. The Cardinals will not have DeAndre Hopkins to start the season, but they still traded for Hollywood Brown, have Rondale Moore in year two, and brought back A.J. Green.
What is good about Andy Isabella is that he will likely get released, and the Bears will not have to give anything up. The Bears should be able to get him the same way that they were able to get Pettis and Sharpe. Those two realized this is their best shot at getting on the NFL field.
We are not sure how good Andy Isabella is, but he cannot be far off from the names like Pettis and Sharpe, considering he is younger and once had the same reputation that they had.
Ryan Poles has shown that he likes the underdogs, and the kid from UMass who went to the NFL is what he is looking for. He did not find the right fit in his first home, but he is still 25 years old, and there is time for him to become an outside deep threat in the right system.
With Andy Isabella on the field with Velus Jones, the Bears could have two wide receivers with 4.3 speed.