Cardinals' defensive line overhaul takes a major blow with an injury that puts start of 2025 season in doubt
When the Arizona Cardinals entered into training camp this week, it would have been fair to assume that second-round draft choice Will Johnson was the biggest medical question mark from the team's 2025 draft class. After all, it was Johnson who tumbled from a potential top-15 draft choice all the way to the fringes of […]
When the Arizona Cardinals entered into training camp this week, it would have been fair to assume that second-round draft choice Will Johnson was the biggest medical question mark from the team's 2025 draft class. After all, it was Johnson who tumbled from a potential top-15 draft choice all the way to the fringes of the top-50.
But the Cardinals' 2025 NFL Draft class was dealt a different, unexpected blow today — one that puts the start of the regular season in question for one of the team's marquee picks.
First round draft choice Walter Nolen suffers calf injury, placed on PUP list
Defensive tackle Walter Nolen suffered a calf injury and was officially placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list by the Cardinals on Wednesday. With the reports coming out that Nolen will require an extensive recovery window, one that may take through the start of the season, the team's other investments into the defensive line now come squarely into the spotlight.
Arizona invested heavily in their front, signing veteran defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell to bolster a unit that lagged behind the rest of the roster's growth in talent over recent years. Nolen could, in theory, be ready for the start of the regular season, but significant missed time as a rookie is rarely glossed over amid the steep transition to the pros. It takes a special kind of talent to miss all of his rookie training camp and then not only miss a beat but thrive when the regular season rolls around.
It's a disappointing development for Nolen.
The end of the world? Absolutely not. But whatever expectations you have for the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft should be tempered indefinitely until Nolen's calf recovers and we get a better idea of just how much prep work he gets before the regular season train leaves the station.
Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen overcomes his “red flags” as Arizona Cardinals select him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
Walter Nolen was undeniably one of the best defensive tackles in all of college football and perhaps the most important defensive player on the entire Ole Miss Rebels team last season. From generating consistent pass rush pressure (50% more than positional average), to missing nearly zero tackles in run defense, to selflessly and frequently taking […]
