Andy Isabella may struggle to remain with Arizona Cardinals

Two years have now passed since the Arizona Cardinals drafted a speedy wide receiver out of the University of Massachusetts. At first glance, Andy Isabella appeared to be a perfect fit for the squad’s newly implemented “Air Raid” offense. First-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury was obviously impressed by the youngster, and many believed that Isabella had the hands and speed to become the next star of the Cardinals.

Sorry to say, Arizona’s coaching staff is still waiting for Isabella to emerge. As a rookie in 2019, the 5’9,188 pounder contributed a measly nine receptions and just one touchdown in 15 appearances. Isabella did average an impressive 21 yards per catch, so the club had reason to think that those statistics would improve during his sophomore campaign.

Isabella’s overall numbers were a tad better last fall, but not by much. In the 13 games he suited up for, the Ohio native totaled 21 catches, 224 receiving yards and two scores. Isabella’s yards per catch plummeted during the year, however, dropping to a fairly pedestrian 10.7 yards per reception in 2020.

Coincidentally (or not), the Cards front office selected another fast pass-catcher during the second round of last month’s draft. Rondale Moore, a 5’7,180 pounder out of Purdue University, is the franchise’s second attempt at a downfield threat in two years. Was Moore brought to the desert to take the place of the disappointing Isabella?

That very well could be the case. At the moment, the Cardinals have 11 wide receivers on their 87-man roster. DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, KeeSean Johnson and Moore will gobble up five roster spots, with the sixth (and presumably final) job going to either Isabella or the still-undecided Larry Fitzgerald.

Of course, the possibility exists that Fitzgerald will elect to call it a career after 17 distinguished campaigns with the Redbirds. There is also a chance that management could choose to hold onto seven wideouts instead of six. Whether Isabella will remain with Arizona or not is a question that will need to be answered in the coming months.