It wasn’t that Devin Funchess caught a touchdown pass on his only target of Thursday’s preseason opener. It was how.
As quarterback Derek Anderson was tossing a fade from the Ravens’ 10-yard line, Funchess made the reception part look easy, using his big frame to create separation against a smallish cornerback.
That was something he was slow to learn as a rookie.
Case in point: The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Funchess vs. Buffalo's 5-foot-11 cornerback Ronald Darby in last year's preseason opener.
A year later, Funchess is doing exactly what he should against guys like Baltimore’s Shareece Wright, who's 5-foot-11, 184 pounds.
“You’re seeing the progress. You’re seeing what he’s going to add to the offense. We saw that at the end of the year last year,” coach Ron Rivera says.
“He got better and stronger and that’s what he’s doing right now, getting stronger, learning the plays. He’s learning how to use that big body like Kelvin.”
Let’s see if Kelvin Benjamin agrees.
"There ain't too much to break down,” he says when asked to describe how Funchess got himself open. “Look at him. He's a physical specimen. You can't teach that.”
As Benjamin tossed out compliments, Funchess slid out of the locker room, avoiding the postgame spotlight.
It was just one play in a preseason game, but he had already made his statement.
"I think that just came with confidence,” Benjamin says. “He always had that in him. He just got here around our band of brothers, we're pushing him and he's stepping up to the challenge.”
The Panthers are for real!