On offense, the Carolina Panthers have reached the event horizon of having to make a decision on what they want their wide receiving corps to look like. With Devin Funchess out with a back injury for Week 12's game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Panthers featured young receivers D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel with a great deal of success - Something that head coach Ron Rivera believes is a "glimpse into the future" of what their receiving game will look like.

While Funchess currently holds the distinction of being the "X" receiver for the Panthers, Moore wasn't exactly made the first wide receiver taken in the 2018 NFL Draft to serve in a complimentary role. And his 565 receiving yards has already surpassed Funchess' total on the year (516), with his 38 catches not being terribly far behind Funchess' 41 - All this despite playing in a much smaller role prior to the midway point of the season.

With all of this considered, Panthers great and longtime D.J. Moore fan Steve Smith believes that with Funchess due up for a new contract and Moore emerging as the new "top" receiver, the Panthers should and will have to move on from the former second-round pick out of Michigan.

"Look: Everybody knows who I like: I love D.J.," said Smith. "And when you look at this offense, I kind of believe they're a better offense without Devin Funchess because you get some of those younger guys who get separation."

Smith then cited tell-tale statistics from Pro Football Focus concerning what the Panthers have been getting from Moore versus what they have been from Funchess. According to PFF, Smith states, D.J. Moore is getting 4.2 yards of separation on his catches, compared to just 2.2 for Funchess.

"You know what that is? Separation from the defender when he catches the ball," said Smith. "Now, I know I went to Los Angeles Unified School District and that's public school, but 4.2 and 2.2 is different. That's why you get guys like D.J. Moore who catches seven for 157. Devin Funchess ain't getting seven for 157. Anything close to it."

In fairness to Funchess, he and Moore are two entirely different receivers: Funchess is big and physical, while Moore is smaller and shiftier. And it isn't as if Funchess does not have a role in the Panthers' offense, as his presence as a big target was certainly missed in the red zone for the Panthers last week. But nonetheless, the Panthers are faced with a situation where they must soon decide whether or not they want to give Funchess a new contract. And given their salary cap situation relative to the direction the Panthers are going on offense, it is perfectly reasonable to entertain that Funchess might not be in their future plans.

Luckily for Funchess, he has at least five more opportunities to prove his worth. And if he and Moore end up complimenting each other down the stretch, it could make the Panthers' passing attack a true thing of beauty.