New York Giants Training Camp Preview: WR Isaiah McKenzie

Will Isaiah McKenzie’s versatility help him land a roster spot?

Dec 10, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (6) walks off the field at Paycor Stadium. / Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports

When the New York Giants were seeking a familiar face to add to their receiving corps for the 2024 season, they went out and recruited veteran pass catcher Isaiah McKenzie to join the competition. 

McKenzie, an eighth-year pro out of Georgia, spent the start of his NFL career as a special teams guy with the Denver Broncos, earning his most considerable dosage of snaps on the team’s punt return unit. 

He did appear in 87 total snaps on the offensive side of the ball in 2017, but Denver’s deep receivers room limited him, and it yielded him only four receptions on 12 targets in that stretch of activity.

The former fifth-round pick was traded to Buffalo during the following season, where he would see his usage as a slot receiver begin to develop. McKenzie played in at least 156 receiving snaps in each of his five seasons with the Bills, four of which came under Brian Daboll’s leadership as offensive coordinator and three notching at least 27 receptions 254 yards and an average catch of 9.4 yards. 

The slot man’s breakout performance came in the 2022 season when he recorded a career-high 42 receptions on 62 targets for 423 yards and four touchdowns. Even at a more diminutive stature, he was the third-most targeted receiver on the Bills offense due to his high catch percentage and was a critical weapon in the quick route game, helping to establish a winning pace on Buffalo drives.

McKenzie is a speedy and shifty receiver with good hands and the ability to change directions in a dime to get to the empty spaces and convert important balls that extend drives. He can secretly become a huge explosive threat on special teams, where his vision and athleticism really came to life in college with six touchdown returns, including five on punt, from 2014-2016. 

McKenzie is joining a loaded receivers room in East Rutherford with several other talented playmakers already in the fold. This makes taking a special teams role the likeliest outcome for him to make the roster in 2024. 

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ISAIAH MCKENZIE, WR

Height: 5-7
Weight: 173 lbs.
Exp.: 8 Years
College: Georgia
How Acquired: FA-24

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2023 in Review

After five years with the Bills, McKenzie took his talents to the Indianapolis Colts and returned to being primarily a special teams contributor. He saw 109 snaps in both the kick and punt return teams and was more efficient in the former area, averaging a solid 25.3 yards per attempt and a long return of 42 yards. 

McKenzie was very good at protecting the football on his possessions. He muffed just two punts the entire 2023 season which marked his sixth consecutive campaign with under that many turnovers in a single year. He only has nine muffs to his name in his eight-year NFL tenure and isn’t afraid to make the smart play and secure the fair catch before putting the possession in harm’s way. 

As such, McKenzie was rarely a thought in the Colts’ offensive game plan. In 13 appearances last fall, McKenzie found 14 targets and caught 11 of them for 82 yards and an average of 7.5 yards. He was no threat to the endzone in that span, something he could look to return to in the third phase of football if he makes the Giants roster. 

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Contract/Cap Info

McKenzie agreed to a one-year, $1.52 million contract on March 12, 2024, that includes $75,000 in guaranteed money that also constitutes the dead cap charge the team would incur if he is released before camp ends. 

The Giants will save $1,077,500 towards their cap if McKenzie doesn’t make the 53-man roster.  

2024 Preview 

The Giants organization knows what they are getting from Isaiah McKenzie. He comes in with beneficial ties to Brian Daboll and special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, who competed against him in the AFC East as a Jets assistant, and both should have a good feel for how he could impact that phase of the game.

Over the past several seasons, the Giants have been desperate for any semblance of playmakers on their special teams and operations, making the addition of McKenzie valuable if he can resume his returning prowess in his fourth NFL city. His skill set would add a nice blend of speed and athleticism to a unit that hasn’t escaped the floor of the league rankings. 

The Giants deployed seven different players on their return teams last year, and only one came close to producing the stats that McKenzie had throughout his professional tenure. That would be Gunner Olszewski, McKenzie’s biggest competition for a roster spot.   

It would be hard to predict any sort of role in the passing offense with how loaded the Giants’ room is with slot-caliber receivers, including Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Malik Nabers, who could join the fold as well. So, McKenzie’s best path to a roster spot will be as a return specialist. 

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