Isaiah McKenzie Brings Speed to Colts' WR Room: Film Room
The Indianapolis Colts have officially brought in their Parris Campbell replacement, signing former Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie to a deal in free agency. McKenzie, 27, is coming off of a productive four year stint with the Bills.
McKenzie has traditionally been a role player in the NFL, but he is coming off of a strong season in 2022. He finished the season with 44 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns as the Bills' primary slot option.
While this signing doesn't completely solve the Colts' needs at wide receiver, it does bring in a solid veteran that can add some speed and versatility to the depth chart.
Redzone Receiver
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the worst redzone teams in the league since 2020. The team simply struggles to finish off drives once they get into range and the result is a loss of point potential. Part of the reason for this is the lack of separation from receivers.
General Manager Chris Ballard values size and explosion in his receiver prospects. This is great and all, but these bigger receivers have traditionally struggled to create separation in the tight areas of the redzone. What is needed to score in close nowadays is speed and separation.
According to Next Gen Stats, Isaiah McKenzie created a strong 3.3 yards of separation per route run in 2022. This number ranks a good bit higher than that of Michael Pittman Jr (2.7) and Alec Pierce (1.9). The main area of the field where this comes in handy is in the redzone.
McKenzie, despite his smaller size, was excellent in the redzone for the Buffalo Bills. He caught 10 redzone touchdown passes over the past three seasons for the team, with all four of his touchdowns a year ago coming in the redzone. He knows how to get open quickly and his speed can be a major asset to play-callers in tight spaces.
Shane Steichen should have a lot of fun with this speedy wideout in the redzone next season.
Vertical Ability
Isaiah McKenzie was primarily used as an underneath option in the Bills' offense a year ago, but I would expect that to change a bit with the Colts. Shane Steichen is a vertical passing style of coach, so McKenzie will likely be used a bit more down the field in Indianapolis.
One area where the Bills were able to use McKenzie down the field was with crossing routes. He is an exceptionally fast and quick receiver that can pull away from defenders when given the entire field to work with. Many of the Bills' shot plays over the past two seasons involved him beating a slot corner on these deep crossing routes.
Isaiah McKenzie will still be used in the underneath passing game as a quick outlet for the Colts' quarterback, but I'd expect Steichen to open up his game a bit more with vertical routes in 2023.
Day One Punt Returner
Another need that McKenzie fills for the Colts is at punt returner. The Colts lost their punt returner last season, when they traded Nyheim Hines to the Bills, and McKenzie is the perfect player to fill that void.
McKenzie was used sparingly on punt returns with the Bills, but when he was put back there, electric things did happen. He returned 20 punts for 231 yards (11.5 yards per return) and a touchdown in his time with the Bills. That is elite numbers with low volume, so I'd imagine the Colts make the move to let him be the full time guy back there next season.
The Bottom Line
Isaiah McKenzie is far from a complete receiver, but he is an electric pass catching option that is great to have in a wide receiver room. His best fit would be as a WR4 and punt returner for the team, but the Colts could certainly do worse than him if they elect to make him the starting slot receiver.
Shane Steichen relies on a vertical passing offense, so having a quick separator with McKenzie's speed is a necessary asset. Steichen should be able to open up his game and allow him to work more downfield on vertical crossers and shot plays. Overall, I love McKenzie's fit in this offense and as a punt returner on day one.
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