After a few days of being quiet in free agency, the Indianapolis Colts have made another addition by signing Isaiah McKenzie to their roster.
With Parris Campbell heading to New York to join the Giants, that created an open spot for a player to take over his role as the new slot receiver.
McKenzie fits the mold for the position due to his size and how he plays the position. Not only can he play in the slot but Shane Steichen can get creative with him and use him as a gadget weapon in his offense because he is capable of running the ball as well.
As of now, this is what Indy’s wide receiving depth chart looks like:
WR1: Michael Pittman Jr.
Slot WR: Isaiah McKenzie
WR2: Alec Pierce
WR4: Ashton Dulin
Backups competing for a roster spot: Mike Strachan, Vyncint Smith, Malik Turner, Kristian Wilkerson, and Ethan Fernea.
McKenzie shouldn’t stop Chris Ballard from finding competition for the slot role but I would expect him to look for a Day 2 or 3 receiver in the NFL draft to throw into the group. Unless an elite receiver is available on the market, I don’t see another veteran receiver coming to Indianapolis this offseason.
One more thing that does make McKenzie valuable to the roster is that he can provide to the special teams because he has experience returning punts and kicks.
Dallis Flowers is currently slotted in as the starting kick and punt returner but with Indianapolis having a thin cornerback group, they may have to not have him return the ball as much in 2023.
