Cardinals First-Round Pick Carted Off vs Falcons

The Arizona Cardinals' can't catch a break in the injury department.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals injured defensive lineman Walter Nolen III against the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals' injury woes continue.

In the third quarter of their Week 16 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, first-round pick Walter Nolen III hit the ground wincing in pain and had to be carted off with 10:56 on the clock.

It's believed to be a non-contact injury, and now he becomes the third Cardinals player to exit action after Garrett Williams and Josh Sweat.

The entire Cardinals bench came out to show support for the Ole Miss product. Nolen officially has a knee injury and will not return, according to the team.

More on Walter Nolen III

Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Walter Nolen III (97) walks off the field after the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Nolen, the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, sat out the first part of the year due to a calf injury -- though his emergence to the lineup was immediately welcome, as he flashed all the talent that made him a first-round pick.

“Disruptiveness, honestly," said head coach Jonathan Gannon when asked to describe Nolen.

"Maybe besides that is how many games that he's played, he doesn't make a lot of mistakes, which is cool to see. He can take it to the grass. He understands what he needs to get done in a particular play, but just his ability to be disruptive in the run and pass game.”

Entering this week, Nolen had eight tackles and two sacks.

“It's hard. I hate to say like rhythm of playing, but there's a rhythm of playing that you get into. (With) each week that you're building on you can make adjustments, you can make tweaks, and you can kind of have some growth from that. Where if you're not on the field, you kind of have to reset where you were and then it just slows down your growth process, I would say, but he's done a good job. He really has.”

Nolen emerged as a key part of the defensive line despite his inexperience, as he complemented veteran Calais Campbell and helped make up for the lack of production from previous first-round pick Darius Robinson.

Nolen's future seems bright in the desert, though his overall inability to stay on the field during his rookie season does give some pause.

However, when he's been active -- there's no doubting the impact he can have in impacting the run and pass game.