Last season, Devin Funchess was considered by many to be the breakout candidate of the Carolina Panthers’ wide receiving corps. Head coach Ron Rivera heaped praises on Funchess during training camp. “Oh, he’s light years ahead of where he was. He’s confident, he’s very comfortable in our system, he understands it. He’s shown his abilities, and they’re really coming through very nicely.” Even linebacker Thomas Davis spoke up, telling Joe Person during the 2016 preseason, “Man, Funch had an amazing camp. And it really started with OTAs and minicamp, you see the maturity level start to grow. You don’t really know what it’s going to look like until you get pads on and he comes out here in pads and he does the same thing.” While the Panthers hoped that Funchess could turn his huge frame and ball skills into those of a #1 wide receiver, 2016 was ultimately a disappointment.
Devin Funchess 2016 Statisitics
| Category | Value | Rank in NFL | Rank in Carolina |
| Targets | 59 | 119th | 4th |
| Receptions | 23 | 177th | 6th |
| Receiving Yards | 371 | 130th | 4th |
| Yards per Reception | 16.1 | 45th | 1st |
| Touchdowns | 4 | 48th | 2nd |
| Yards after catch | 112 | 183rd | 5th |
| 1st Downs | 20 | 121st | 4th |
| 20+ Yard Receptions | 8 | 71st | 4th |
Funchess’ 2016 numbers are rather underwhelming for a player who had such high expectations. He had the ball thrown his way and had less receptions than Greg Olsen, Kelvin Benjamin and Ted Ginn, as well as being outpaced by both Fozzy Whittaker (25 receptions/33 targets) and Philly Brown (27 receptions/53 targets). Although his 16.1 yards per reception and 20 first downs stand out considering he only caught 23 passes, those will not be enough if he expects to take the next step. He only caught 39.7% of passes thrown his way, which was the lowest of all NFL receivers with more than 50 targets. Ted Ginn, thought of by most as having poor hands, dropped 5.3% of his targets. Funchess dropped 5.2%.
I won’t dive into his statistics any further as they only grow more grim the more you examine them; instead it is time to look at how the Panthers offensive evolution in 2017 could benefit Funchess greatly.
“We could’ve used him better. . . Here’s a guy that’s going into his third season who can really be a big player for us. He’s put his arm around some of these guys and has really tried to help them.”
– Ron Rivera
After the roster moves they made through the draft and free agency, the Panthers are expected to focus on a faster passing game that relies on short passes, screens, and option based routes. Moves like spending their first two draft picks on offensive weapons like Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, both expected to play multiple positions reveal the Panthers plan. During the 2016 season Funchess was tasked with a large number of comeback, tall in, and straight go routes; all of which rely heavily on the receiver’s ability to gain separation through straight line speed. While Funchess does possess some speed, he does not possess enough to be a vertical threat like Ted Ginn or Curtis Samuel. Instead, the Michigan product’s strength is in his route running ability, which was marginalized due to the types of routes he was asked to run. Slants, seams, curls, double moves, crossing routes and screens rely on these traits and will provide a much better picture of how successful Funchess can be if the Panthers utilize him in this way. Free agent acquisitions Charles Johnson and Russell Shephard, in addition to the rookie Samuel, will most likely take over the comebacks, tall ins, and go routes which Funchess ran the majority of last year.
If Funchess does indeed run these routes, he needs to be an earlier read for Cam Newton instead of his third or fourth. It’s understandable on a team with Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin, that’s not going to be the case every down, but sporadically, if Funchess is the first read, he can create separation, use his frame, and get more involved in the offense. On a play like the one below, if Funchess is the second read, the ball gets out two seconds earlier, and Funchess gets a catch near the sideline with the opportunity to go break a tackle for a first down. Instead, the ball comes out late and Funchess is unable to get his feet down.
In the next example, with Funchess lined up wide, Newton has no time to get past his second read. With two more seconds to survey the field, perhaps the quarterback could see Funchess break the press, create separation, accelerate past the corner with no over-the-top safety help and be open for a touchdown. But Newton doesn’t have those two seconds due to the all-out blitz the Broncos send, and he forces it to Ted Ginn on the other side.
Again, the way the Panthers offense seems to be trending with the additions of multi-tool players with tremendous quickness like McCaffrey and Samuel indicates that the number of quick passes and short routes will rise during the 2017 season, which should lead to more production from a player like Devin Funchess. When reviewing his 2016 season, Funchess found himself open quickly off the line, but by the time Newton is able to see him, either the coverage has closed the window or the line has allowed the pressure to collapse the pocket, forcing Cam to make a poor throw or decision.
An out route from a bunch formation would be an ideal situation for the third year receiver. Funchess has proven that he is a fantastic sideline player; knows how to adjust to the ball, tap his feet down and use his body to secure the catch inbounds. His burst off the line can help create separation, and the bunch formation can create confusion which may lead to other options being open downfield. Put him in an offset bunch with McCaffrey and Olsen and call it the “Honey, Funchess and Olsen” formation (**EDITOR’S NOTE: Sigh.**) and watch the yards pile up.
Funchess was open frequently in 2016; however, he was often hindered by being the third or fourth read. Moving forward to 2017, to help Funchess make the leap to a top tier wide receiver and utilize him better is to have him be the primary or secondary read on plays more often. Cam Newton had difficulty making it past his second read before his offensive line crumbled in 2016, so a better, more cohesive line will help, but more importantly, Funchess must help himself by showing off his skills during training camp and the offseason to prove to offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterback Cam Newton that he deserves the opportunities to be the first or second read. If he is able to do this, Funchess has the chance to join Kelvin Benjamin as “co-number one wide receivers” on an offense that has a quarterback two years removed from an MVP campaign, one of the best tight ends in the league, and a pair of running backs in Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey poised for huge seasons.
