Walter Nolen's Year-Two Leap Could Transform Cardinals Defense

The hype around Arizona Cardinals DL Walter Nolen III is real entering his second season.

Injuries ultimately plagued his rookie campaign, as a calf injury suffered before last year's training camp kept him out for the first half of the season before a knee injury weeks later ended 2025 for the former first-round pick.

Yet the small sample size we saw of the Ole Miss product was exciting, as he flashed every bit of the dynamic game-wrecker he could be in just a six-game stretch.

Walter Nolen looked like a true gamewrecker in his NFL debut pic.twitter.com/QPRxcSDIkd
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) November 4, 2025

While Nolen still hopes to work his way back to 100%, his healthy presence in 2026 could lift Arizona's front seven to new heights.

ESPN believes that will happen, picking Nolen as a breakout candidate entering the new year.

"Every Nolen snap was like water in an oasis for Cardinals fans last season. He struggled to get on the field (he had a calf injury in training camp) and stay on the field (he was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury in Week 16). But in the middle of that, for 169 glorious snaps, he wreaked havoc," wrote Benjamin Solak.

"Nolen had a 14% pressure rate from the interior, second only to the Giants' Abdul Carter among all rookie defensive linemen. He had five tackles for loss, five QB hits, two sacks and a fumble recovery (for a touchdown) in the span of six games. Splashy, splashy stuff. It's all about health and stringing together consistent days for Nolen, who very clearly has the tools of a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackle."

Outside of Nolen, the Cardinals' defensive line lost Calais Campbell this offseason while all eyes are on Darius Robinson to take the next step as a former first-round pick.

While Roy Lopez and Andrew Billings were brought to the desert in hopes of providing a boost, there's little consistency and play-making outside of Dante Stills to be excited about.

The Cardinals were a different defense with Nolen's presence on the field.

Especially with fourth-round pick Kaleb Proctor going down with an injury, Arizona will heavily rely on Nolen's ability to make the coveted year two jump as an NFL player. Controlling the trenches is something the Cardinals haven't done often, though Nolen's instant impact was a sign the team found an obvious gem.

If Nolen continues to improve and sticks to trajectory, he could not only establish himself as one of the best players from his draft class — he could put his name in the conversation for best interior defenders in the league.

Nolen is making great progress on his return from injury, you can read more about that here.

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