Bills re-sign ‘gadget’ receiver/returner Isaiah McKenzie

bills-mckenzie-dolphins

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (19) runs for a touchdown after catching a short pass in the first half against the Miami Dolphins. (John Munson/AP)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are welcoming back a dynamic receiving, running and return threat after reaching an agreement to re-sign Isaiah McKenzie to a one-year contract on Tuesday.

McKenzie is valued for the "gadget" role he played in scoring five touchdowns receiving, another returning a punt, and one on a 12-yard completion to quarterback Josh Allen last season.

McKenzie returns for a third full season in Buffalo since being claimed by the team in 2018 after he was cut by Denver.

The 25-year-old established a niche in co-ordinator Brian Daboll’s creative offensive scheme last season in being used as a situational fourth receiver. He finished with a career-high 30 catches and 282 yards, and scored three times (two TDs receiving and one on a 84-yard punt return) in a season-ending 56-26 win over Miami.

His touchdown passing was the first of his career, and came in a 32-30 loss to Arizona in mid-November. He also had 9 yards on 10 carries.

McKenzie’s role is expected to increase, particularly on special teams, after Buffalo was unable to re-sign primary returner Andre Roberts this off-season.

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 173 pounds, McKenzie was selected by Denver in the fifth round of the 2017 draft out of Georgia.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.