Green Bay Packers sign two players, send Devin Funchess to injured reserve

The Green Bay Packers added two roster additions as the NFL regular season nears.

Green Bay Packers signed Abdullah Anderson and Stephen Denmark, placed Devin Funchess on injured reserve and released Chris Blair.

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 25, 2021

The moves followed the loss of two Packers’ wide receivers.

Devin Funchess was placed on injured reserve with a lingering hamstring injury, ending his 2021 season before it began, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday.

Funchess was not the only wide receiver cleared from the roster on Wednesday, as Green Bay made a couple moves: the Packers also cut wide receiver Chris Blair, a rookie wide receiver from Alcorn State University.

Who are the Packers new additions?

Amidst their recent round of cuts, the Packers have signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson, an undrafted free agent out of Bucknell who spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears, and cornerback Stephen Denmark, a 2019 seventh-round pick out of Valdosta State who has not appeared in a regular-season NFL game.

In limited action, Anderson has recorded four tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack in his NFL career.

Denmark gained some hype heading into the 2019 NFL Draft as a big, physical cornerback who was making the transition from wide receiver to defensive back.

The new Packers’ corner is listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, so if the Green Bay coaching staff can help learn a new role, Denmark has the physical tools to succeed.

Can Funchess return for Green Bay Packers in 2021?

While Schefter reported that Funchess will miss the entire 2021 season, if Funchess recovers sooner, he will only be able to play again this season if he accepts an injury settlement now that he has cleared waivers. There is no guarantee he plays with Green Bay again, as every NFL team will have the opportunity to claim him off waivers. In addition, the Packers wouldn’t be able to sign him for an undisclosed period of time.

In March of 2020, the free agent signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract (which included a $1 million signing bonus) with the Green Bay Packers. Between his opt-out and his now season-ending injury, Funchess — after playing just one game on the Indianapolis Colts — could finish his Green Bay Packers career without playing a single game.

Funchess was on the bubble for a roster spot; after his opt-out in 2020, the Packers slightly rebuilt their wide receiving corp, so he was not guaranteed a spot. Green Bay drafted Amari Rodgers, a wide receiver out of Clemson, in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and it proceeded to trade for Randall Cobb in July. Cobb, a former Packer, was reunited with his former team of eight years at quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ request.

In five NFL seasons — four with the Carolina Panthers and one game with the Colts — Funchess has been targeted 320 times, reeling in 164 passes and tallying 2,265 yards along with 21 touchdowns.