The Detroit Lions announced the signing of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funches on Tuesday. The interesting part of the signature? The Lions are converting the tight end to Funchess.
With the Packers, Funchess was listed at 6-4 and 225 pounds. The move towards the tight end could be his last chance to revive his NFL career.
The Detroit natives, who played college football in Michigan, never actually played in regular season games for the Packers. He signed in April of 2020 but was then ruled out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funches returned the following year and was in Green Bay throughout training camp, but did not make the team to begin the 2021 season.
Funches was a tight end during high school and began his collegiate career as a tight end in Michigan. He was actually an All-Big Ten pick as a freshman and had the toughest end of the Big Ten year before moving to full-time receiver as a junior. The Carolina Panthers selected him as a receiver in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
In the NFL, Funches has played nothing but wide receiver. His overall size and feel at the receiver could be an attractive trait in a move to the tight end, and the Lions are ready to see if he can make the transition back to his old position.
Funches, now 28, spent some time in the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad during the 2021 season.
