NFL NEEDS TO RESOLVE ANTHEM DISPUTE
Isaiah McKenzie had just flashed his quick-cutting brilliance on a 64-yard punt return against the Raiders. The play on Oct. 1 was called back by a penalty, but that didn’t erase the highlight of the 5-foot-8 rookie burning down the sideline.
McKenzie also had broken a tackle just as he caught another punt in the third quarter, shedding the contact and tearing up the field for a 29-yard gain that set up a Broncos field goal in their 16-10 victory.
In short, the electric returner had provided fireworks. But as he evaluated his performance following the game, McKenzie landed on a seemingly harsh grade.
“I gave myself a ‘C’ for this last game,” he said.
The reason was simple. “I didn’t have no touchdowns,” McKenzie added. “I
just wanted to be No. 1 — in everything. Touchdowns, punt-return yards, the whole nine. Everything I’m doing, I want to be No. 1 at it. That’s my plan.”
Through his first four career games, McKenzie has flashed the potential the Broncos saw when they drafted him in the fifth round out of Georgia. They envisioned McKenzie solving some of the issues the team had suffered in the punt-return game the past few seasons, when a lack of big returns was a glaring weakness.
Coach Vance Joseph wasted little time in training camp naming McKenzie the team’s starting returner, and it’s a job he has grabbed and, quite literally, sprinted away with.
“He’s always a shoestring tackle away or one block away (from the end zone),” special teams coach Brock Olivo said. “He’s exciting and the guys know that. We just look forward to getting him the opportunity to get the ball in his hands.”
The success McKenzie has produced in the open field — his average of 11.1 yards is second among players with at least 10 returns — raises the question: Should the Broncos find more ways to get him the ball? Perhaps more like the AFC West-leading Chiefs have used their own former fifth-round pick, Tyreek Hill?
“We’re putting in a couple of plays each week for him to suit his skill-set,” Joseph said. “So as we play more, he’ll get more opportunities, offensively.”
The offensive staff, Joseph said, has enjoyed crafting plans for McKenzie, even though his actual use has been limited to this point. His lone carry, on an end-around against Buffalo, gained 4 yards, and he has yet to be involved in the passing game.
Still, his quickness can be a weapon even when he doesn’t have the ball.
Take the Broncos’ opening touchdown pass against the Raiders. McKenzie was lined up near the right sideline, outside of Demaryius Thomas. Before the snap, McKenzie sprinted in motion toward the other sideline, looping behind Denver’s backfield in the process. The motion is a common tactic designed to identify the opponent’s coverage, but the speed with which McKenzie carried out that action helped pause the defense just enough for tight end A.J. Derby to run clear on a double move toward the end zone.
“He’s got a fun skill-set, which is speed,” Joseph said.
For his part, McKenzie is comfortable biding his time. The staff has praised his eagerness to consume the playbook and make himself prepared to assist when he’s called upon. But the rookie sees no reason to rush the process.
“We use everyone, so, eventually, I’ll get used and I’ll get in, step by step, and take it from there,” he said.
In the meantime, he’s eager to do the only thing that will raise the grade he’s given himself: find the end zone.
“Every time I catch the ball, I’m trying to make a guy miss and get upfield,” McKenzie said. “The punt-return team, they make good blocks. It’s just up to me to end it.”