Isaiah McKenzie (born April 9, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and was selected by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the fifth round of the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. McKenzie plays primarily at

and

punt returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punt (gridiron football), punts and kickoff (gridiron football), kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusivel ...

but has also seen playing time at the NFL level as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

College career

McKenzie's first two years with the Georgia Bulldogs saw him accumulate 190 receiving yards and 195 rushing yards, as he was primarily used as a

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. After

Kirby Smart Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at the University of Georgia, his alma mater. As head coach, he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national champion ...

replaced

Mark Richt Mark Allan Richt (born February 18, 1960) is an American former college football coach, player, and current television analyst. He was the head football coach at the University of Georgia for 15 years and at the University of Miami, his alma mate ...

as head coach, McKenzie was more prominently featured in the Georgia passing game. He caught 44 receptions for 633 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior, becoming the Bulldogs' top receiver. Leading into the

, draft analyst

Mel Kiper Jr. Mel Kiper Jr. ( ; born July 25, 1960) is an American analyst covering football for ESPN. Kiper has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984. He has been widely credited for establishing mock drafting and is regarded as one of t ...

compared McKenzie to

Antonio Brown Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. During his first nine seasons with t ...

due to similarities in their kick-return abilities and athleticism.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

McKenzie was selected by the

in the fifth round, 172nd overall, in the

. On September 11, 2017, in the season opener against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

on ''

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

'', McKenzie returned three punt returns for 48 net yards in his NFL debut. On September 24, against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, McKenzie recorded his first career rushing attempt, a four-yard carry. He totaled four receptions for 29 yards on the season. On September 10, 2018, McKenzie was waived by the Broncos and was re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 25, 2018. He was waived again on November 2, 2018.

Buffalo Bills

On November 5, 2018, McKenzie was claimed off waivers by the Bills.

2018

McKenzie was used as the primary kick returner, but also saw significant time on offense. He scored his first NFL touchdown, rushing 6 yards on a jet sweep, against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

on November 25. Against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, he was used in the run game after

LeSean McCoy LeSean Kamel McCoy (born July 12, 1988), nicknamed "Shady", is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was selecte ...

and

Chris Ivory Christopher Lee Ivory (born March 22, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars and Tiffin Dragons. He was ...

suffered injuries, rushing for 22 yards on four carries with another touchdown to go with 47 receiving yards in the 27–23 loss. He had 18 receptions for 179 receiving yards to go along with 66 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on the season.

2019

McKenzie's kick return role decreased after the Bills added free agent kick returner Andre Roberts, but he still found decent playing time on special teams and as a gadget player on offense. He caught 27 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing 8 times for 49 yards. McKenzie played a big role in helping the Bills defeat the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in week 5, as his 46-yard reception helped set up the game-winning touchdown. For the Bills' final game of the 2019 season, against the Jets, he was pressed into service as a reserve

, as the Bills were

resting the starters Resting the starters is the substitution of regular players on a sports team with backup players, and it occurs when a team has clinched at least a playoff berth, often its division, and in many cases, home advantage, and no further regular season ...

and the backups suffered injuries.

2020

On March 30, 2020, McKenzie re-signed with the Bills. On November 15, 2020, in a Week 10 game against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, McKenzie threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to quarterback

Josh Allen Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming Cow ...

on a trick play during the 32–30 loss. This was McKenzie's first career touchdown pass. In the Bills' final game of the 2020 season against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, McKenzie had arguably his best game as a professional, catching six passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown, his first career special teams score on his only punt return of the season. In the AFC Championship against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, McKenzie recorded one catch for a six-yard touchdown during the 38–24 loss.

2021

On March 29, 2021, McKenzie signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Bills. On August 26, 2021, McKenzie was fined $14,650 for violating the NFL's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

protocol. McKenzie became the primary kick returner in 2021, but was benched after fumbling a kickoff in a loss to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. Due to starting slot receiver

Cole Beasley Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football at SMU Mustangs football, Southern Methodist University and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undra ...

being diagnosed with COVID-19, McKenzie was utilized more in a week 16 game against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. He caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as the Bills beat the Patriots 33–21.

2022

On March 13, 2022, McKenzie signed a two-year extension with the Buffalo Bills. McKenzie had a hot start to the season as the Bills' primary slot receiver with Beasley's departure from the team, catching 17 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns within the first six games. He was also the leading receiver for the Bills during a Thanksgiving game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He finished the season with a career high of 42 receptions, 423 yards, and four touchdowns. On March 17, 2023, McKenzie was released by the Bills.

Indianapolis Colts

On March 22, 2023, McKenzie signed with the Colts. The Colts suspended him for three games for conduct detrimental to the team on December 19.

New York Giants

On March 12, 2024, McKenzie signed with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

He was released on August 27.

Miami Dolphins

On December 17, 2024, McKenzie was signed to the

practice squad.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Business ventures

In 2020, McKenzie and his friends Mel Rodriguez and Chase McKenzie opened LaTraila Barbecue, a restaurant in

Miami Lakes, Florida Miami Lakes, officially the Town of Miami Lakes, is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The town is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,467. History ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Georgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Isaiah 1995 births Living people American football return specialists American football wide receivers Buffalo Bills players Denver Broncos players Georgia Bulldogs football players Indianapolis Colts players New York Giants players Players of American football from Miami American Heritage School (Florida) alumni Miami Dolphins players