Photo courtesy: Arizona Cardinals.
The Ottawa Redblacks have signed a pair of former NFL draft picks in receiver Andy Isabella and defensive lineman Jordan Smith.
Isabella was originally selected in the second round, 62nd overall, of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He went on to play 43 games over five seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals (2019-22), Baltimore Ravens (2022) and Buffalo Bills, registering 33 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns.
The five-foot-nine, 190-pound speedster also spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2024), San Francisco 49ers (2025), and in the UFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks (2025). Isabella earned $10.6 million during his time in the NFL.
Prior to his professional career, Isabella attended the University of Massachusetts, where he was named a consensus All-American in 2018 after leading the NCAA in receiving yards. In 45 games for the Minutemen, he caught 231 passes for 3,526 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also rushed 40 times for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round, 121st overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. He played two games over three seasons with the team and made one tackle, before stints with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025.
The native of Lithonia, Ga., made over $1.8 million in the NFL. He was released by the Riders following rookie camp last season.
The six-foot-six, 255-pound pass rusher began his collegiate career at the University of Florida (2016-17), but was suspended from the team for his alleged involvement in a credit card fraud scheme. He transferred to Butler Community College (2018) and finished his career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (2019-20), where he made 96 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception in 23 games. He was named second-team All-C-USA in 2019, before receiving first-team honours in 2020.
Receiver Robert Lewis was added to Ottawa’s retired list in an unrelated move.
Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Dru Brown went 2-7 over nine starts at quarterback, throwing for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Dustin Crum went 2-4 over six starts, throwing for 1,771 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Redblacks ranked sixth in net offence, fifth in net defence, and ninth with a turnover differential of minus-16. The club’s leading rusher was William Stanback with 698 yards, the leading receiver was Justin Hardy with 1,019 yards, and the leading tackler was Adarius Pickett with 84 tackles. Ottawa finished eighth in attendance with average crowds of 18,136, which was a 4.2 percent decrease from the previous year.