Official 2020 Free Agency Thread

[GB-Brandon]

Good signing with Funches!!! Good upside potential in our system. Rodgers will be hands down the best QB he has ever had.

Got Get Reagor and Cephus now and we’ll be set!

[HarveyWallbangers]

Funchess is underwhelming, but he does have a 800 yard, 8 TD season. Newton's accuracy has been pretty spotty the last few years and probably hasn't helped his efficiency numbers.

[mraynrand]

Funchess is used to grabbing passes thrown low and behind. Also can relate to Rodgers re: broken collarbone. With Geronimo likely out the door and MVS on thin ice, prob need a versatile big guy.

[smuggler]

Gotta think Funchess is replacing Graham, rather than Lazard. I have to admit, this is the Gute signing I am least optimistic about. I will wait to see the contract details, but on the surface it raises more questions about the Front Office than it answers about the roster...

[HarveyWallbangers]

Gotta think Funchess is replacing Graham, rather than Lazard. I have to admit, this is the Gute signing I am least optimistic about. I will wait to see the contract details, but on the surface it raises more questions about the Front Office than it answers about the roster...

I doubt the deal is for much money. My guess is that this is a low risk roll of the dice.

For the Cephus fans, Funchess was almost as slow as Cephus at the combine, but he ran 4.48 at his Pro Day. (I don't trust Pro Day times.) He doesn't get a lot of separation, but it's not like watching Mike Williams looking like he's pulling a trailer. He has good ball skills and makes a ton of difficult catches. He's had drop issues, but his catches have a high degree of difficulty and I think it's more correctable than MVS and his complete lack of ball skills. He's similar to Lazard in a lot of ways.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Why Funchess? He's an upgrade over the Sloth is a good enough reason.

Looks like a poor man's, black man's Jordy Nelson. Excels at the slant. Can do the back shoulder.

[run pMc]

They'll sign him because he's cheap and he's a veteran so he won't take as long to get up to speed with the playbook and the pro game. With practices and camps affected by COVID-19 that's important.
He also pushes the other middling guys and gives them another option. Agree with others saying he's like Lazard and that there will be 8+ guys playing for 5 spots. He's not a TE, but he might run some of the routes Jimmy ran when they split him out wide.
He's only 25 so he's in his prime, but he is what he is at this point: a #3 WR who replaces Allison and competes with Lazard/MVS/ESB for time.

[pbmax]

I don't think the trend of big wide receivers is doing this offense any favors. I hope its not a new cutoff line that they will call analytics.

[pbmax]

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
One thing to note about Funchess: his catch percentages are terrible. In 2018, he ranked 64th in the NFC, bringing in just 55.7% of the throws his way. In ’17, he ranked 56th in the NFC at 56.8%.

[Teamcheez1]

I don't think any of the Carolina receivers had high catch percentages with the QB's they had throwing to them.

This is a low risk move. Funchess will either play more like a hybrid TE/WR (we're not really stocked at TE or WR), or he will have an opportunity to beat out one of our pedestrian receivers. It's a win/win move to create some competition.

[Deputy Nutz]

I think the Packers offense likes big physical receivers to play the Y-off or a "tight" to the emolos type of slot for blocking in the Packers zone scheme. I don't know much about him, but whatever. The Packers are active in free agency, he isn't gonna cost much

[pbmax]

I think the Packers offense likes big physical receivers to play the Y-off or a "tight" to the emolos type of slot for blocking in the Packers zone scheme. I don't know much about him, but whatever. The Packers are active in free agency, he isn't gonna cost much

Could be, but this is more than the coach and his offense. Shannahan's offense used Gabriel as slot receiver and they weren't worried about his size for blocking.

This is Gute and he mentioned it before he had to accommodate a new offense with LaFleur coming in. The GM is sold on this approach.

[smuggler]

In the video Harvey posted above you can see why the Panthers are done with Cam. His ball has no zip whatsoever. Watching Rodgers throw and then Cam back to back is like putting the ball in slow motion. Granted Rodgers is the extreme example, but (drops aside) I don't worry about any Panther's catch percentage with Cam throwing. He consistently turned open opportunities into contested catch attempts because he's got the noodle arm.

I feel a bit bad for him, but it was his style of play that did it. Everyone was saying that from the day he was drafted.

That said, I'm still not too thrilled with signing Funchess.

[pbmax]

Jeremy Fowler @JFowlerESPN
Before agreeing to terms with Devin Funchess, the Packers also showed interest in Demarcus Robinson, an intriguing second-wave option with 449 yards/4 TD and a ring with KC last year.

[Fritz]

Jeremy Fowler @JFowlerESPN
Before agreeing to terms with Devin Funchess, the Packers also showed interest in Demarcus Robinson, an intriguing second-wave option with 449 yards/4 TD and a ring with KC last year.

Funchess did indeed play tight end most of the time at Michigan.

Yawn. Anther guy whose hype was bigger than his production.