The Detroit Lions are bringing a veteran back to the state of Michigan for the first time in his NFL career.

On Tuesday, the Lions announced they were signing former Wolverine star Devin Funchess. A wide receiver to begin his career, Detroit announced Funchess’ signing as a tight end.

Funchess began his career at Michigan as a 4-star TE prospect out of Farmington, Michigan for the 2012 recruiting class. He went on to have a productive 3 seasons in Ann Arbor.

From 2012-14, Funchess recorded 126 catches for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns. His most productive season came in 2013 when he posted 748 yards and averaged 15.3 YPC with 6 touchdowns.

Funchess was a 2nd-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2015. He last appeared in a game for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2019 season with 3 catches for 32 yards. It will be interesting to see if the move back to TE will help Funchess return to form in 2022.