Could speedy receiver Andy Isabella be Patriots trade target?
By Mike Luciano
The New England Patriots will likely be looking to upgrade their receiver room in the name of giving Mac Jones some extra help. Now that there are dozens of trade rumors swirling around the Arizona Cardinals, could Andy Isabella be a name that Bill Belichick ponders trading for?
Isabella, who was drafted in the second round in 2019 thanks to the pick Arizona acquired for Josh Rosen, has fallen out of favor under Kliff Kingsbury. The additions of DeAndre Hopkins and AJ Green cut into his playing time, as he totaled just 31 catches in three seasons and just one catch in all of 2021.
Still, the UMass alum has plenty of value left to give at the NFL level. He was picked in the second round for a reason, and he might start hitting his stride if a team like New England gives him more consistent playing time. The Patriots undoubtedly have the assets to snatch him up, too.
Isabella’s trade value is as low as possible at the moment, meaning that New England could acquire a dynamic downfield threat without parting ways with much of anything. Isabella’s speed has the potential to shift the structure of this offense if he earns playing time.
Could the New England Patriots get Andy Isabella in a trade?
Isabella can fly. A former track champion, he was clocked at 4.31 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. While his slight frame (5-9, 188 pounds) has led to some serious struggles against more physical corners, Isabella was a nice route-runner in college. Putting him in an Edelman-type role might not be the craziest idea in the world.
While the Kingsbury offense puts the ball in the air a lot, the average depth of target numbers shows that the Cardinals barely escaped being a bottom 10 team here last year. It can be reasonably inferred that Arizona’s offense simply isn’t the right fit for a downfield burner like Isabella.
The Patriots might not be the gaudiest aerial attack in the world, but that could be because they generally lacked speed on the outside. Isabella would allow them to stretch the field, giving Jones more opportunities to target Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne underneath.
Andy Isabella is in the last year of his rookie deal. His 2022 salary is $1,126,347. That would be his cap number for an acquiring team.
— Miguel Benzan Patriots Cap Space is 12,198,438 (@patscap) March 2, 2022
Belichick should flip a very late draft pick to Arizona, if possible, to make this happen. If Isabella doesn’t work out, they can quickly cut their losses and pretend this never happened. If he turns back the clock and starts producing, though, the Patriots could’ve solved their issues with wide receiver depth by bringing a local kid back to Massachusetts.
