It was an overall disappointing season for Jacksonville, but one of the few bright spots was the play of tight end Dan Arnold. The position was arguably the team’s biggest need heading into last offseason, and it didn’t do much to address it aside from drafting Luke Farrell, who is primarily a blocker, in the fifth round.
That changed three weeks into the regular season when the team acquired Arnold in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. He finished with 324 yards on 28 catches, and though he didn’t find the end zone, he had five games in which he surpassed 50 receiving yards.
His season was ultimately cut short with an injury, but he proved to be one of the more versatile tight ends in the league, ranking among the top five in routes run from the slot or out wide.
Eight tight ends ran at least 75% of their routes from the slot or out wide in 2021 (min. 100 routes, PFF)
Mike Gesicki (92%)
Anthony Firkser (87%)
Kyle Pitts (80%)
Mark Andrews (79%)
Dan Arnold (78%)
Evan Engram (78%)
Logan Thomas (76%)
Juwan Johnson (76%)— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 18, 2022
This could prove to be significant in terms of how the Jaguars see his role moving forward. That’s especially the case when considering the lack of receiving ability the team has at the position behind Arnold right now.
With James O’Shaughnessy set to hit free agency from the current tight ends group, this team will likely look to add someone else, potentially in the first two days of the draft. However, that may not hurt Arnold’s role too much when considering how much new coach Doug Pederson likes to utilize multiple tight ends as pass catchers.
Tight end has become one of the most important positions in the NFL, and the Jags need to find one that can be a reliable target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Though there will likely be at least one new addition at the position, there’s reason to believe Arnold could be that player.