D-III wide receiver
Tight end Dan Arnold, who agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Panthers on Friday night, came out of Shanley High School in Fargo, N.D., without a scholarship offer, choosing to play wide receiver at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville. He had 2,097 receiving yards in his final two seasons and won the 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor WIAC Championships for good measure.
He was undrafted in 2017, but received an invitation to rookie minicamp with the Saints, who eventually signed him to a three-year contract that summer.
Joe Brady connection
Arnold was with the Saints from 2017-19, working with current Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady when he was an offensive assistant with the Saints in 2017 and 2018.
Arnold was on injured reserve in 2017, but played in 10 games with one start in 2018 and saw action in two games for New Orleans in 2019.
While quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was in New Orleans during those years as well, he and Arnold never hooked up for a completion during the regular season.
Breakout in 2020
Arnold entered the 2020 season with some low-key buzz in training camp. Arnold had just 150 yards in 2018, but recorded over 100 yards and two touchdowns in the final three games of 2019 when he arrived in Arizona from New Orleans.
After some strong training camp practices, NFL Network's Peter Schrager put Arnold's name out there as one to watch in 2020.
Schrager wasn't too far off. In 2020, Arnold became the first Cardinals' tight end since Jay Novacek and Rob Awalt in 1988 to record at least 400 receiving yards and four touchdowns in one season.
Vertically-abled
Arnold is listed at 6-foot-6, making him the tallest skill player on Carolina's current roster (and taller than former tight ends Greg Olsen and Wesley Walls, both listed at 6-5).
Last season, Arnold made a number of incredible leaping catches in the end zone in a late-season stretch that saw him record three touchdowns on four catches against the Rams and Giants in Weeks 13 and 14.
View photos of tight end Dan Arnold during his time with Arizona (2019-20) and New Orleans (2017-19).