The Cleveland Browns have a knack for making controversial decisions, and signing Isaiah Bond to a three-year deal as Mark Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported certainly fits that. The Bond fit makes all the football sense in the world as he's a supremely talented wide receiver, but the off-field concerns are clearly there. Regardless of how Browns fans feel about the signing, Bond is a Brown, and signed a fully-guaranteed three-year deal with the team. Adding him to the wide receiver room sends fellow controversial receiver Diontae Johnson a clear message that his roster spot with the team is far from secure.
Breaking: #Browns have signed former #Texas WR Isaiah Bond to a 3-year deal after his charges were dropped, league source tells clevelanddotcom: ---> https://t.co/rRb5KdTgak
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 18, 2025
Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Browns this offseason. That move also made a lot of football sense, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that Johnson refused to enter a game when asked just last season. Do the Browns really want that kind of teammate on their roster?
The answer to that question was evidently yes over the offseason, but Bond's arrival could change things.
Diontae Johnson's Browns' roster spot is far from secure following Isaiah Bond signing
What was notable when the signing was made that Johnson signed a one-year deal worth just $1.17 million - the veteran minimum. Even more jarring was that not a single cent of that contract was guaranteed. Johnson had to earn his way onto the Browns' roster, and if he made it, he wouldn't be making much money.
Well, Bond adds another receiver to the equation. He joins a receiver room that already includes players locked into roster spots like Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. With only two or three openings for additional receivers, Johnson will have to play his way onto the roster.
So far in the preseason, Johnson has been targeted five times but has just one reception for seven yards. He was even targeted in a Dillon Gabriel pass that resulted in a pick six in Cleveland's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
To put it clearly, Johnson, a veteran who was cut by two teams last season and can be released without costing the Browns a dime, has struggled mightily in the preseason and just moved down a spot in the pecking order with Bond's arrival. There's still a bit more time for him to prove himself, but Johnson was probably on thin ice when it came to earning a roster spot. Even if he does make the team, he probably wouldn't see the field much, and that could result in something like him refusing to enter a game happening again.
No matter how you slice it, the Bond signing makes it that much harder for him to crack the 53-man squad.