Packers place WR Devin Funchess on IR

For a second straight year Devin Funchess won’t play for the Green Bay Packers.

After opting out last season for COVID-19 reasons, the team placed the wide receiver on season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury suffered last week.

Funchess signed with the Packers as a free agent prior to the 2020 season. He had played in just one game with Indianapolis in the 2019 season after breaking his collarbone in Week 1.

The 27-year-old Funchess was productive in his four seasons with Carolina and looked like he could still play during Green Bay’s first preseason game. Funchess led the team with six catches for 70 yards against Houston.

Still, he was far from a guarantee to make the final roster. Five wide receivers — Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Randall Cobb and rookie Amari Rodgers — are locks to stick on the 53-man roster. Funchess was battling Malik Taylor and Equanimeous St. Brown to be the sixth guy — assuming the Packers keep that many. Both of those guys played special teams, something Funchess did not.

In other moves, Green Bay signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson and cornerback Stephen Denmark, while releasing wide receiver Chris Blair.