4 sneaky threats the Panthers should worry about vs. Cardinals
By Dean Jones
Dan Arnold – TE
The Arizona Cardinals decided not to bring back seasoned veteran Charles Clay in free agency, which was thanks in no small part to their high hopes for Dan Arnold. The tight end has been solid if not spectacular through Week 3, but this represents a more favorable matchup against a linebacker group that has had some problems in coverage in recent games.
Arnold is a polished route-runner for a man his size and has the hand-eye coordination to match. He has caught five of eight targets thrown his way this season for 58 receiving yards and if the Carolina Panthers are not ready for what the player can bring across the middle then it is going to have a detrimental impact on their chances of success.
He is no stranger to the Panthers having turned out for the New Orleans Saints over the last two years. Arnold is a reliable pass-catching presence at tight end that Carolina hasn’t had the benefit of so far, with Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz both relatively anonymous in offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s scheme.
The likes of Jeremy Chinn and Shaq Thompson will be tasked with limiting Arnold’s ability to move the chains. But the player will look to put himself on middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead as much as possible thanks to his struggles in coverage both with the Panthers and throughout his career.