Buffalo Bills: Isaiah McKenzie out to prove he is more than ‘gadget’ player

Isaiah McKenzie is looking to be more than just a ‘gadget guy’ for the Buffalo Bills in 2021.

Ever since the Buffalo Bills claimed Isaiah McKenzie on waivers midway through the 2018 season, he has been viewed as a gadget player. A versatile player that Brian Daboll can move around and get the ball to him in a number of different ways to make plays.

He has put him in motion on jet sweeps and shovel passes but also given him rushing attempts and in 38 career games with the Bills, he has 28 rushing attempts for 124 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

While McKenzie is a key part of this offense, even with limited snaps, the term ‘gadget’ player is sometimes viewed negatively. There is an assumption that a player can’t be a good wide receiver or running back as a gadget guy and coaches have to scheme ways to get him the ball.

That may be one of the reasons why McKenzie wants to shed that ‘gadget’ label and believes he can be just a wide receiver.

McKenzie said that when given the opportunity to play wide receiver he wants to show everyone he can do that. He certainly did that last year in the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins when he played in the slot for the injured Cole Beasley.

That game McKenzie was almost unguardable and finished with six receptions on nine targets for 65 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. This performance should give Bills confidence that McKenzie could be the future at the position.

He has played well out of the slot and is a sure-handed pass-catcher. While it is a limited number of targets, McKenzie did have a catch rate of 88.2% last season and in his career has only four career drops.

When looking at the depth chart at wide receiver, Isaiah McKenzie may have limited opportunities again this season. However, he has shown he makes the most of those opportunities and which could develop into a more prominent role in this offense.