Depth Matters: How Monti Ossenfort Rebuilt Arizona Cardinals Defensive Front

On just the second day of Training Camp, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon dropped some disappointing injury news. Injury-plagued edge rusher B.J. Ojulari is still rehabbing a knee issue and Bilal Nichols is dealing with a neck problem.

That was already tough news to start camp, but it got worse when the Cardinals announced that their 2025 first round selection, Walter Nolen III would also be out with an undisclosed calf injury.

Now on the PUP list, Nolen will miss some time according to Gannon. How long that period will be is currently unknown but it is not implausible that the timeframe for working Nolen back to full-time could extend into the beginning parts of the season.

Unfortunately, this is eerily reminiscent of last year's first round selection Darius Robinson who also suffered a calf injury during training camp which kept him out of the lineup until Week 12 of the 2024 season.

Robinson's loss on an already thin defensive line was quickly compounded with a string of other injuries that decimated the position group and contributed to a poor showing throughout the season, making the defensive front one of the glaring weaknesses of the team.

While the team is again facing an early injury to a top pick, the tone around Nolen’s injury feels less dire thanks largely to the work GM Monti Ossenfort has done in rebuilding the defensive line.

Building Layer by Layer

Jul 24, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Ossenfort took the reigns of the Cardinals front office, he inherited a defensive line that had been held together by aging free agent signings for several years and was just coming off the retirement of the legendary JJ Watt who had helped glue the group together for a couple of years.

The new GM immediately started a conscious process designed to solidify the position group over a period of several years.

Ossenfort made his intentions clear in the 2023 draft with B.J. Ojulari and Dante Stills and continued in 2024 by spending a first round pick on Darius Robinson. In April, he doubled down again using another high draft pick on Nolen. A conscious effort to use valuable draft capital along the defensive front.

He has also used free agency to bolster this area of the defense more than any other. Last offseason that included the singings of Nichols, Justin Jones, Khyiris Tonga and others. This year it has taken the shape of Dalvin Tomlinson and bringing back a Cardinals legend in the still formidable Calais Campbell.

All of these moves have been done with purpose. Jones and Nichols were signed for their perceived durability (injuries can't really be predicted so that can't be held against Ossenfort), Tomlinson bolsters the interior in a major way as one of the most consistent nose tackles in the league, and Campbell adds the invaluable experience of his 17 year NFL career and his undeniable aura.

The work that Ossenfort has done building this area of the defense shows that he did not just chase stars, but he had a vision of building that went layer by layer, hopefully crafting something much more durable than previous iterations.

What Depth Looks Like Now

If Nolen does end up missing any regular season time, what does the Cardinals defensive line depth look like?

Campbell might be old, but he will still be highly effective in many early down reps. Jones is a proven run defender and Tomlinson is a boulder in the middle. Stills and Robinson should both offer some good interior push that will hopefully complement a more effective Cardinals pass rush alongside Josh Sweat and gang.

Conversations have been held throughout the offseason regarding who the odd men out will be on the defensive line as suddenly there seemed to be too many potential starters to only keep the six linemen the Cardinals have named to their final 53-man roster in years past. That dilemma, cutting starter-caliber players, is a luxury Arizona hasn’t had on the defensive line in recent memory.

Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis have been building a defensive scheme that is not overly reliant on superstars but values high-impact, rotational players who can execute on varied fronts. Ossenfort has obliged this vision by loading the room with athletes who each can contribute without having to take over the game individually.

Depth Wins in December

The potential loss of Nolen for any amount of time is clearly a setback that the team hopes to avoid. That being said, if it does happen it should not be the death knell to positional integrity that it might have been in previous years.

Ossenfort has learned from the franchise's past failures and committed to creating a strong defense. He has constructed a deeper, tougher trench line than the Cardinals have had in many, many years.

If the Cardinals remain relevant into December, it will likely be because the defensive line held together when tested, and that is completely by design.