The Indianapolis Colts are adding to the wide receiver room in the form of free-agent Isaiah McKenzie.
After the Colts saw Parris Campbell sign a one-year deal with the New York Giants, they needed to fill the void at slot receiver. With the McKenzie signing, they bring in a veteran option who can provide solid depth.
There’s certainly still room to add to the wide receiver position, but this does give the Colts a decent short-area, quick-hitting slot option that also can work on special teams.
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Here’s our instant analysis of the move:
How he fits in the depth chart
The Colts are going to have Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce at the top of the depth chart while Ashton Dulin, who signed a two-year extension, could also see a bit more run than he had earlier in his career. McKenzie (5’8″, 173) is a slot receiver and likely will be the first in line to earn the snaps that Parris Campbell left behind. It’s unlikely he will see the same snap share that Campbell saw in 2022 (85%), but he should be a mainstay in 11 personnel and empty packages.
Here’s how the projected depth chart looks at the wide receiver position after adding McKenzie:
| XWR | Slot | ZWR |
| Michael Pittman Jr. | Isaiah McKenzie | Alec Pierce |
| Mike Strachan | Vyncint Smith | Ashton Dulin |
| Malik Turner | Kristian Wilkerson |
How this impacts the draft
The Colts shouldn’t stop trying to add depth to the receiver position, but it’s unlikely they’ll make it a priority in the draft. With so many needs at other positions, the Colts would probably wait until Day 3 to add a receiver. There are some intriguing options to compete for the final spot in the room, but the addition of McKenzie probably means we won’t hear the Colts call a wide receiver’s name before the final day of the draft, if at all.
How this impacts free agency
There aren’t many options on the market that will excite the Colts, and the majority of them are slot options. With McKeznzie coming to the Circle City, the Colts likely will turn their attention to finding a potential starting right guard and cornerback, which remain the biggest needs after the quarterback position.
Contract details
As of this writing, the contract details haven’t been released. We’ll update this post when they become available.
Instant grade
This is a solid move for the Colts, who desperately needed to add an explosive element to the offense from the slot position after losing the aforementioned Campbell in free agency. McKenzie won’t come in and command a massive target share, but he’s a solid weapon to have across the middle of the field, and he adds some juice to the run game on sweeps.
In a word? Solid.
Instant grade: C+
