The Carolina Panthers got to see wide receiver Devin Funchess back on the practice field on Thursday.

Funchess missed last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks and the Panthers surely could have used one of their top receivers out there as they suffered their third straight loss. He has been recovering from a back injury and he's back just in time for a hopeful Panthers rebound against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers defense has been horrendous all around this season and although they do have talent, they surrender an awful lot of yards and points to opposing offenses.

Funchess hasn't done a whole lot this season and has disappeared lately even prior to the injury. The former Michigan receiver has racked up 516 yards on 41 receptions while finding the end zone twice.

It's clear that running back Christian McCaffrey is the team's first option, and rightfully so. The emergence of rookie D.J. Moore and the return of tight end Greg Olsen have taken a good amount of targets away from Funchess.

Newton likes to spread the ball and the Panthers have been very running back oriented this season with McCaffrey's elite level of play.

Cam Newton and Funchess could exploit the Bucs' porous defense and get back on track with a win after the last few tough luck losses. The Panthers' last win was actually back in Week 9 against the Bucs, so things could be more or less the same this week when the Panthers travel to Tampa Bay.