Andy Isabella (born November 18, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the UMass Minutemen, and was selected by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

in the second round of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

Early life

Isabella attended Mayfield High School in Mayfield, Ohio. Isabella ran track in high school. In his senior year of high school, Isabella won the state title in the 100-meter dash, beating fellow sprinter and future

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

cornerback Denzel Ward in a close race. He committed to the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

to play

. Isabella is of Italian heritage.

College career

Isabella played at UMass from 2015 to 2018. Initially recruited as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, he converted to

his sophomore year. During his career he had 231 receptions for 3,526 yards and 30

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. As a senior, he was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and was a finalist for the

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

. In 2018, he led the country in receiving yards per game (141.5) and was named to the 2018 College Football All-America Team. Isabella was Pro Football Focus's highest rated wide receiver in college football, posting a season grade of 93.2.

College statistics

Statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Isabella declared for the

after his senior season. At the combine, Isabella ran a 4.31 second 40 yard dash, which was the third fastest time at that year's combine, tied with

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

wide receiver Parris Campbell.

Arizona Cardinals

Isabella was drafted by the

with the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the draft. The Cardinals acquired this selection in a trade that sent Josh Rosen to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. In Week 9 against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Isabella caught one pass for an 88-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

in the 28-25 loss. This was Isabella's first career receiving touchdown in the NFL. He finished his rookie season with nine receptions for 189 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In Week 3 of the 2020 season, Isabella recorded four receptions for 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 26–23 loss to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. Isabella entered the 2021 season sixth on the Cardinals wide receiver depth chart, and only had one catch the entire season and was inactive for half the season. On October 4, 2022, the Cardinals waived Isabella.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 10, 2022, Isabella signed with the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. On December 31, 2022, Isabella was elevated to Baltimore's active roster for Week 17 versus the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. On January 2, 2023, Isabella was put back on Baltimore's practice squad after a thigh injury versus Pittsburgh. On January 14, 2023, Isabella was elevated to Baltimore's active roster again for their playoff game versus the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 19, 2023. He was released on July 25, 2023.

Buffalo Bills

On July 28, 2023, Isabella signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad. During the season, Isabella played in only two regular season games, and two playoff games. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2024. He was released on August 27, 2024.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On October 25, 2024, Isabella signed with the

practice squad. He was released on November 5.

St. Louis Battlehawks

On October 2, 2024, Isabella signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He was re-signed on December 20, 2024 after his stint with the Steelers. He was released on March 20, 2025.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Sports Reference (college)UMass Minutemen bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isabella, Andy 1996 births Living people All-American college football players American football wide receivers Arizona Cardinals players Baltimore Ravens players Buffalo Bills players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Cuyahoga County, Ohio St. Louis Battlehawks players UMass Minutemen football players