The Indianapolis Colts didn't make a ton of moves this offseason, with their addition of pass rusher Justin Houston representing their headline signing, but they acquired one player who could bolster their offense in a big way: wide receiver Devin Funchess.
The move flew under the radar a bit, especially with guys like Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell all changing addresses, but you should not underestimate the magnitude of this signing for the Colts.
We know how great the connection between Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton is, but outside of Hilton, Luck didn't really have any other reliable wide outs to throw to in 2018.
As a matter of fact, no other wide receiver on Indianapolis even totaled 500 yards, with Chester Rogers coming closest with 485.
Of course, Luck had a really good tight end in Eric Ebron, who hauled in 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns, which definitely mitigated Indy's lack of receiving depth, but it's still nice for a quarterback to have more than just two big-time weapons.
Well, with the addition of Funchess, Luck now has a third.
No, Funchess isn't Beckham or Brown, but at 6-foot-4 and around 235 pounds, he is a monster of a target for Luck and could be a major red-zone threat with the Colts.
Funchess, who spent his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he caught 44 passes for 549 yards and four scores. Those are hardly great numbers, but we need to keep in mind that he was playing with a compromised Cam Newton, and even a healthy Newton is not in the same category as Luck.
The 25-year-old had his best season in 2017, when he snared 63 balls for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Now, imagine what he will do in the Colts' offense playing alongside of Hilton and having Luck to throw him the football?
Funchess probably won't finish with 1,000 yards or anything, as Hilton and Ebron are still outstanding targets, and the Colts may actually run the ball a bit more this year now that they have a dependable back in Marlon Mack, but Funchess is going to be an integral piece of this offense.
Think about it: Ebron racked up 13 touchdowns this past year, mainly because he was Luck's best red-zone threat due to his 6-foot-4 frame. But now, Luck also has Funchess, so he will eat up some of those scores and will finish a lot of drives started by Hilton.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Funchess can end up with 10 touchdown grabs this coming season, as the Colts will surely have a lot of opportunities and Funchess can reach over the top of just about any defensive back in the league.
The former second-round pick has always been a solid receiver, but now, he is about to enter the best situation of his career, as he will be joining a team with a better quarterback, a much better offensive line and a dynamite No. 1 wide out on the other side.
Expect big things from Funchess in 2019.
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