What to know about receiver Isaiah McKenzie, the Colts signing to replace Parris Campbell

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have found a veteran replacement who can take over Parris Campbell’s role in the slot.

Indianapolis has signed former Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie, according to his agency, Sports Trust Advisors, to fill the hole left by Campbell’s departure for the Giants on a one-year deal.

What was Isaiah McKenzie's role in Buffalo?

McKenzie, who will be 28 years old in the next couple of weeks, has been a rotational cog in Buffalo’s offense for nearly half a decade, but the Bills released him last week after signing a pair of receivers — former Saints wideout Deonte Harty and former Dolphins pass-catcher Trent Sherfield — in free agency.

Indianapolis is hoping it can get a more consistent, dynamic McKenzie than the player the Bills ultimately decided to release.

McKenzie caught 137 passes for 1,316 yards and 11 touchdowns in 68 games for Buffalo, and he’s been durable, playing in 15 or more games in each of the past four seasons. Beyond his pass-catching ability, McKenzie has also been effective as a change of pace in the running game, picking up 230 yards and four touchdowns on 47 career carries.

How will the Colts use Isaiah McKenzie?

By signing in Indianapolis, McKenzie gives new head coach Shane Steichen a versatile piece to deploy in a lot of creative ways offensively with the Colts.

But the former fifth-round pick out of Georgia hasn’t been able to parlay his 4.42 speed in the 40-yard dash into anything more than a complementary role in the NFL so far, even when he’s had the opportunity.

McKenzie, who is much smaller at 5-8, 173 pounds than the Colts’ traditional wide receiver profile under general manager Chris Ballard, has averaged just 9.5 yards per reception in his NFL career, never going higher than the 10.1 yards he picked up in 2022, the most productive season of his career so far.

Handed the opportunity to take over for former Buffalo receiver Cole Beasley in the slot last year, McKenzie caught 42 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns, but he had just two games with more than 50 receiving yards and tied for 11^th in the NFL with six drops, according to Sports Info Solutions, leading to the Bills bringing Beasley back in December.

A salary cap-strapped Bills team then signed Harty and Sherfield, allowing them to move on from McKenzie.

In Indianapolis, McKenzie immediately projects as the team’s starting slot receiver, sliding into the No. 1 lineup inside of Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, the two former second-round picks Indianapolis believes will lead the team’s wide receiver room in 2023.

Pittman Jr. has 187 catches for 2,007 yards over the past two seasons, and Pierce established himself as a vertical threat in a 41-catch, 593-yard season that was affected by the Colts’ inability to throw the ball down the field last season.

“We like both of those guys, and I think both of them (have) really bright futures,” Ballard said at the NFL scouting combine. “But there’s no question it’s a place we need to add some depth.”

Will Isaiah McKenzie help the Colts on special teams?

Indianapolis brought back wide receiver and special teams gunner Ashton Dulin, the team’s No. 4 receiver in catches the past two seasons, last week, and now has signed McKenzie, who could also provide special teams help of a different sort.

McKenzie has been a punt returner at different times throughout his career — although the Bills have been reluctant to use him there permanently in recent years — averaging 8.9 yards per return on 58 chances, plus an 84-yard touchdown on his only return of the 2020 season.

The Colts didn’t have a reliable punt-return option last season after trading running back Nyheim Hines, ironically, to Buffalo, although undrafted rookie Dallis Flowers established himself as one of the league’s most explosive kick returners.

A few more free agent signings are likely on the way for the Colts, who had more than $20 million in cap space before the McKenzie signing.

Indianapolis still has holes to fill this offseason, most notably upgrading the interior and depth of an offensive line that collapsed last season, along with a cornerback position that was thinned out by the team’s decision to trade Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick, along with Brandon Facyson leaving to re-join the Raiders.

And Ballard has long stretched out his free agent investments over the course of the entire spring, looking for deals like the one he just struck with McKenzie.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts pick up Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie to replace Parris Campbell