RETURN MAN MCKENZIE SEEKING REDEMPTION
Broncos’ return man desires redemption after “unacceptable” 2017
During his tumultuous rookie season trying to catch and return punts for the Broncos, Isaiah McKenzie had to have a “I just did what?” moment, right?
“Plenty of times,” McKenzie said. And that sums up McKenzie’s 2017 season, when he performed well enough to win the job a full month before the season started, only to struggle mightily. Plenty of times, he fumbled. Plenty of times, he showed poor decision-making. And plenty of times, he was confused about his decision.
A fair catch at Miami in December was the first one that McKenzie cited after Monday’s seventh organized team activity workout.
“Caught it inside the 10 and thought, ‘Why did I do that?’ ” he said.
He caught the punt at his 5-yard line. Three plays later, Miami scored on a safety and rolled to a 35-9 win. It was McKenzie’s final game as a punt returner.
The Broncos could have given up on McKenzie as a punt returner and cited only his statistics as the justification.
Per Stats, McKenzie’s 32 offensive touches were tied for 314th in the NFL last year, but he was tied for 20th (and tied for second among non-quarterbacks) with six fumbles (lost two). His 18.8 fumble percentage was first among all players with at least 12 touches.
“I’ve said it plenty of times: Unacceptable,” he said.
On draft weekend, McKenzie had to ac-
cept the Broncos’ decision to select Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton, pushing him down the depth chart.
“I was like, ‘We got two of the best receivers in the draft,’ ” McKenzie said. “And then I said, ‘This is about competition every day.’ ”
McKenzie is getting another shot to compete. During Monday’s OTA, he worked at slot receiver and caught punts alongside Hamilton, Phillip Lindsay and Brendan Langley. McKenzie and Hamilton were 5-for-5 in catching punts, Langley was 4-of-5 and Lindsay 4-of-4.
“We’ve got four, and obviously Jordan Taylor when he’s back from his (hip) injury will be catching punts, also,” coach Vance Joseph said. “It’s an open competition and the more the merrier.”
McKenzie is in a tough spot — he wants to wipe last year from his memory, but must remember it so he doesn’t repeat it.
If that sounds complicated, so is returning punts. Let it hit the turf, call a fair catch or try to return it? Turn up the middle of the field or head for the sideline? McKenzie had returns of 29, 31, 31 and 44 yards last year, but those were overshadowed by the blunders.
“I even look at them now,” he said of his mistakes, “I say, ‘OK, I could have done this better, I could have done that better, I could have made a way better decision.’ I look at it, learn from it and leave it behind me.”
McKenzie admits his confidence was shaken last year following a career at Georgia that included five punts returned for touchdowns. He has spent the offseason rebuilding it. He believes he can be an effective punt returner. He believes he can help the offense as a slot receiver.
“It’s a fresh start,” McKenzie said. “I feel like I came in this year with a good mind-set. I feel more comfortable with the plays on offense and I’m catching the ball well on punt returns. I just want to keep it rolling.”