Packers place wide receiver Devin Funchess on IR, season likely over
Wide receiver Devin Funchess hasn't caught a regular-season pass since 2019, spending the entirety of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers on the sidelines.
Now, after taking positive steps this preseason, the Packers have placed Funchess, 27, on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. As CBS Sports points out, "this now means that Funchess will be sidelined for the entire 2021 season unless he and the team agree to an injury settlement that could lead to him signing elsewhere as he continues to recover from injury."
The 6-foot-4 receiver had a solid outing this preseason, connecting with rookie quarterback Jordan Love on six passes for 70 yards. Since injuring his hamstring during a joint practice with the New York Jets, however, Funchess has been absent from the practice field. Wednesday's news that he's been placed on injured reserve put a sharp end to what a promising preseason.
At this point in time, Funchess and the Packers will have to reach an injury settlement that would allow him to sign with another team as a free agent while he rehabs his hamstring. Otherwise, it will be a third lost campaign for the former second-round pick.
Funchess played only one game in 2019 for the Indianapolis Colts due to sustaining a collarbone injury. After signing with the Packers as a free agent in 2020, he opted out of the following season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If he misses out on this season, and can't find another team to sign him, even his NFL career could be in jeopardy.
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