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The New Orleans Saints waived third-year tight end Dan Arnold on Wednesday to make room on the 53-man roster for veteran linebacker Manti Te’o, and they probably expected him to pass through waivers unclaimed and return to the practice squad.
But that won’t happen. The Arizona Cardinals were awarded Arnold off of waivers on Thursday, adding him to their own 53-man roster. Arnold initially signed with the Saints a few seasons back as an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin-Platteville — and he was known as more of a big, athletic wide receiver than a tight end.
New Orleans attempted to convert him to the new position by putting him through their sports nutrition program and one-on-one tutelage with tight ends coach Dan Campbell, but inconsistencies as a pass-catcher and deficiencies as a blocker kept him off of the field. Now he’ll be making an in-season move to the desert to try and catch on with a new team.
Arnold ultimately logged 212 snaps in 13 games with the Saints, including an appearance in last year’s NFC championship game. He caught 14 of his 24 career targets to gain 175 yards, including a touchdown score over the Atlanta Falcons in 2018. Maybe things will work for him better in Arizona, under first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury in his high-flying offense with electric rookie quarterback Kyler Murray.
In the meantime, Arnold’s departure leaves the Saints with four tight ends on the team, and three on the active roster. That list includes starters Jared Cook and Josh Hill, backup Jason Vander Laan (limited in Thursday’s practice with a vague head injury), and practice squad convert Mitchell Loewen, a former defensive lineman.
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