Isaiah Bond and Dillon Gabriel: Manning the Factory of Sadness
Can Isaiah Bond and Dillon Gabriel elevate the Cleveland offense? Can they provide fantasy value?
If history were a Cleveland Browns fan, they'd be on Drunk History giving you their perspective. If history were Adam Harstad, they'd tell you not to count on it. Bad organizations lead to bad performance.
They don't call the Cleveland Browns the Factory of Sadness for nothing. Once a proud franchise that had 35 winning seasons during its first 50 years, that crew moved 374 miles southeast.
What replaced this organization is an orange and brown Cleveland steamer; a zombie, aimless and shuffling from victim to victim, consuming the weak and taking their souls. Since 1999, the Great Lakes manufacturer of soul-crushing products has lived up to its name:
- Four winning seasons in 26 years.
- 16 seasons with fewer than six wins.
- Five seasons with fewer than four wins.
- An 0-16 season.
- 41 starting quarterbacks.
Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, and Denzel Ward are among the rare bright spots. Can Isaiah Bond and Dillon Gabriel join Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. as promising candidates to one day join this small list?
The short answer: I wouldn't want to bet on it. However, you've already invested in a fantasy team, and with the likes of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, Tyreek Hill, and Malik Nabers out -- and A.J. Brown's saga in Philadelphia -- many of you could be scrambling for replacements.
You can't always wait for the good teams to have available openings for a reserve to fill.
Isaiah Bond and Dillon Gabriel might serve as that port in the storm where you must seek refuge. Let's dig in.
Can Isaiah Bond and Dillon Gabriel Elevate the Offense?
In theory, yes. Let's begin with Bond.
Isaiah Bond: What He Has to Offer
The No. 4 WR in the 2025 Rookie Scouting Portfolio's pre-draft publication, many draftniks saw Bond as Matthew Golden's sidekick and Golden as the prize prospect among the Texas wide receivers.
Bond is Marvin Mims Jr. without the route issues. A quicker way of saying it, but requires some memory and age from readers, is that Bond has a lot of T.Y. Hilton to his game that could grow into Isaac Bruce’s skills.
Isaiah Bond #texaslonghorns
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 17, 2025
- Runs at DB
- Hitch-and-go
- Good peek to boundary
- Weight drop into double move
- Double swat
- Stacks
- Diving over the shoulder grab
- Takes the hit by the S#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/BgmMGUkOam
Bond has a strong array of releases, he stacks defenders well on intermediate and vertical routes, and he has the long speed of a legitimate deep threat. This isn’t new to anyone who is casually familiar with Bond’s game.
Isaiah Bond continues making plays when called upon. #Browns. pic.twitter.com/RyAUeGQJY0
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 29, 2025
Isaiah Bond
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 17, 2025
- Read step attacks outside leverage
- Stacks DB
- Peeks to the boundary - snap with the head fake#NFLDraft #rolltide #texaslonghorns pic.twitter.com/c0p0rGRbAT
What is less apparent to many is Bond’s route running against man-to-man coverage. He sets up breaks with a wide array of tools, and he executes precise breaks and works back to the ball.
Although Bond has a detail to address with how he attacks two specific target placements, one is an isolated problem, and the other is an occasional lapse of technique. Otherwise, his tracking, positioning, and catching are reliable.
Isaiah Bond #Browns
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 1, 2025
Quietly spectacular grab.
- Full extension
- Underhand full extension is tough
- Excellent job embracing the fall with the turn downfield through the catch. pic.twitter.com/fIgzQo8KlL
Isaiah Bond #RollTide #TexasLonghorns
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 17, 2025
Clutch moment: Auburn-Alabama with bama down 4 on 4th and 31 with 0:44 left.
- Creates separation while ball is in the air.
- High point
- Toe-taps both feet at boundary
- Tight coverage/contact#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/O5QX2yayvk
Bond is a dangerous runner who manages traffic well. He knows when to be decisive and when to be patient. When he attacks, his acceleration is a legitimate weapon against pursuit angles.
Bond lacks the size of a traditional WR1 in a starting lineup, but he has what it takes to become a top-end WR2 for his team who can, at times, look like a WR1. If he continues to improve his routes and addresses his specific lapses in attack, Bond might transcend the WR2 label.
Bond can elevate the Browns' offense as a field-stretcher and runner. With DeAndre Carter out for the year, Bond will also return punts for Cleveland. If you're in a league where return yardage factors, Bond can give you a 2-for-1 value.
Even before Cedric Tillman got hurt, Bond was the better long-term value. Tillman's size and length made him a capable vertical option near the boundary and a competent runner of slants and over routes, but he's not in the same category as what Bond can become -- and already offers -- as a route runner.
The fact that Bond signed a contract in August, spent only a limited amount of time in camp, and has contributed as much (and as well as he has) in this offense is a telling indication of his talent. More snaps could lead to an acceleration of Bond's development.
I wanted to include Bond in this week's Top 10. The original idea was to title the segment, "Can Isaiah Bond Save Joe Flacco's Job?" I thought better of it because of the specter of Gabriel looming over the situation.
Still, Bond might have breathed new life into Flacco's production. Flacco was beginning to show more trust in Bond, and was targeting the rookie aggressively down the field. I think Flacco saw Bond had more value than Tillman as well.
In theory, Bond has the skills to give fantasy GMs what we saw from Jordan Addison as a rookie. Expect Bond to earn RPOs, screens, crossing routes, and timing routes along the perimeter that set up double moves in the vertical game.
In practice, the execution of these plays will come down to Dillon Gabriel. This is where I have my doubts, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of success.