Dan Arnold On His Immediate Impact, Influence On Trevor Lawrence and 'That' Play
Dan Arnold barely had time to learn his teammates names before being thrown on a field with them and asked to help resuscitate an offense. And as the Jacksonville Jaguars put together one of their best performances of the season yet—albeit still in a loss—Arnold was a huge part of the production.
The tight end traded from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for CJ Henderson and draft picks, Arnold came in and immediately became a target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Arnold had two receptions for 29 yards and drew a crucial defensive pass interference call in the redzone.
Versus the Tennessee Titans, Arnold had six receptions on eight targets for 64 yards, averaging 10.7 yards per reception, with an average of 4.9 yards after the catch. Then there was “the fumble.” On the first drive of the game, looking to build off of their connection versus the Bengals, quarterback Trevor Lawrence hit Arnold for a five-yard gain. Safety Elijah Molden hit Arnold to cause a fumble, which Kevin Byard returned for a touchdown.
While there was question whether or not it was a fumble, Arnold can admit the truth…and what it means for him moving forward within the Jaguars offense.
“I’ll be honest. I’m my toughest critic and I’m going to say it was a fumble because I kind of leaned forward to make what they call a football move. So, I’m going to say, yeah it was a fumble every time.
“It’s not really about that for me, it’s just tuck the ball better next time. That’s just where I have to be with it. That next step in my career is to be that guy that can be relied upon in every single circumstance and I just have to be a better football player at the end of the day.”
One fumble—admittedly a very bad one—can’t completely wipe away how much of an impact Arnold has had on this offense though since arriving. He stepped off the plane and became Lawrence’s most trusted option. The average depth of target on throws between the two is 6.5 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, and as the Jags prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins in London this weekend, Lawrence will once again depend on his newly reliable weapon underneath.
“It’s great just having another guy out there. You have your different offensive personnel,” explained Lawrence this week. One of the primary aspects of the Jags offensive plan the club has wanted to grow is the use of Lawrence’s legs. Having Arnold on the field allows more for that option, as the quarterback explained.
“That just adds a little bit of flexibility as far as we can have a tight end in there and, from a play calling perspective, it’s not always [the same]. [If] you put four wideouts out there, it’s most likely going to be a pass. But [if] you have Dan out there and three wideouts, it’s basically like you have four, but you also have the ability to hide some things, run the ball, have an extra blocker, all those things where he can do both, that helps you.
“That’s a matchup at the end of the day when you get in these games where you have corners covering your wideouts and their nickel, their next guy covering your slot and then you have a fourth guy, they’re going to have either bring in another DB that makes them light in the run game or they’re going to have to play a safety or linebacker on him and you can get a mismatch all the time.”
Even knowing what Arnold could provide logistically, it was still a bit of a shock to see him do so that quickly. But it’s something the tight end has done before. After being waived by the New Orleans Saints late in the 2019 season, he was picked up the next day by the Arizona Cardinals. In his first game, Arnold nabbed a six yard reception for a touchdown. He finished out the last three games with the Cardinals, totaling six receptions on 10 targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
He’s on much the same path in Jacksonville already, and attributes his ability to step right in to the lessons he learned in Arizona.
“Just having that experience of picking up an offense and trying to contribute as soon as possible, and just getting into the playbook, trying to learn as much as you can and just working hard, that’s kind of been the player that I’ve been in my career. So, it’s something I pride myself on, being able to do those kinds of tough things.”
Being able to play right away with little practice is impressive, but time to build chemistry with a quarterback and within an offense will only increase that impact ten-fold. It’s been said a quarterbacks best friend is a capable tight end. As the Jacksonville Jaguars touch down in England this weekend, it will be with two full weeks of practice under Dan Arnold’s belt…and two full weeks of seeing what he can do to help Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars.
“I think having a little bit longer time just to kind of work with the tight end coach, everybody, the offensive coordinator and with Trevor [Lawrence] as well, just to kind of iron out details of, ‘Okay, this is what you’re thinking on this route, or this is where you’re going to expect me.’ There [are] little nuisances that are different with each offense and just trying to get him as comfortable as possible because this is his first year in this craziness of the NFL,” said Arnold this week.
“And there’s a lot that goes into it, it’s something I noticed. Trying to give him pointers on everything that I can as well, stuff that I’ve picked up from other quarterbacks that I’ve been with that have been successful. Just having that good week at practice, more than anything, helped.”
