When Isaiah Bond joins the Browns this week, he immediately takes the mantel as the fastest player on the team. He posted a 4.39 40 clocking at the 2025 NFL Combine.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
After successful weeks of practices and games with the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles, the Browns are over the hump.
For all intents and purposes, training camp is over.
It’s time to get ready for the September 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said he’ll treat this week as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Which means he’ll tailor the practice schedule as if Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams were a Sunday regular-season game. There will be a basic game plan introduced at practices and starters will be prepared to play.
“A big week for the football team,” Stefanski said.
Yes, it is. Also, for the following reasons.
* When players report to work on Tuesday, Stefanski will inform them who will lead the team into the season as the starting quarterback.
Undoubtedly, it will be Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old freak of nature who was the only one of the four quarterbacks not to miss a single practice because of injury.
Regardless of the soft-tissue injuries that limited Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, Flacco’s elite arm, deft play-faking ability, and veteran acumen were unmatched in a quarterback competition that wasn’t close.
The veterans on the team would be stunned if it’s not Flacco.
After Thursday’s joint practice in Philadelphia, team leader Joel Bitonio said, “We have faith in the room and the coaches’ decisions, but we’ve been around Joe and he’s done a great job for us, led us to the playoffs a couple of years ago. So we have all the faith in him. He’s shown that he can lead this team, and his poise and his confidence in the huddle is what you’d expect from an 18-year vet.
“We have all the confidence in the world in whoever they put out there, but Joe’s obviously been the healthiest guy and kind of our option right now.”
* Second-round draft pick Quinshon Judkins, the heir-apparent to Nick Chubb as the Browns’ bell cow running back, is expected to rejoin the team after being cleared of domestic violence charges.
Judkins must first sign his rookie contract, but that seems like a formality.
Judkins could still be subject to an NFL suspension if the league rules that he violated the personal conduct policy. All the more reason for the Browns to get Judkins in uniform and on the field as soon as possible. A suspension would not take effect until the regular season.
* Undrafted wide receiver Isaiah Bond is expected to join the Browns this week.
Cleveland.com reported that the Browns have agreed to a three-year contract with Bond, who went undrafted after being arrested two weeks before the draft on a sexual assault charges.
On Friday, the charges were dropped and Bond posted a statement on social media saying that he would sign with the Browns.
Bond specifically thanked Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry “for giving me this opportunity.”
He added, “I'm determined to prove the Browns organization and everyone who believes in me right for putting their trust in me.”
Bond, who previously played for Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees at Alabama before transferring to Texas, posted a 4.39 40 time at the NFL Combine after predicting he would beat Xavier Worthy’s Combine record of 4.21.
The Browns have courted Bond throughout his legal process, which explains why they haven’t added any veteran receivers during training camp. Bond will be the fastest player on the team.
There are other issues for Stefanski and his coaches and for Berry to sort out before the season opener. Such as:
* Who is QB2, QB3 and QB4 entering the season?
* Should a veteran cornerback be added for depth behind starters Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome?
* Is there a kicking problem?
* How does the receiver room shake out?
All of those questions will be answered in short time. The evaluation period is almost over.