Cardinals rookie Walter Nolen III out for rest of season with knee injury
Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III's rookie season is over after suffering a knee injury Sunday, Jonathan Gannon said.
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Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III’s rookie season is over after suffering a knee injury Sunday, head coach Jonathan Gannon said.
The head coach is “not sure” if surgery is on the table for Nolen.
Gannon on Wednesday also confirmed cornerback Garrett Williams tore his Achilles. Both players will head to injured reserve.
The rookie injured his left knee in his team’s 26-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, with two games left this season. It’s the third injury Nolen has picked up since joining the franchise as the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Nolen wrote on Instagram Monday. “… go from never missing games to not even being able to play a half a season … The lord has my path already written and this is just a bump in the road that he has put in front of me to overcome like all other battles he has tested me with.”
It’s another tough blow for Nolen, who had impressed when healthy behind two sacks, five tackles for loss, five QB hits, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
Two notable injury updates: Cardinals CB Garrett Williams is out for the final two games of the season with an Achilles injury, as is rookie DT Walter Nolen III with a knee issue. pic.twitter.com/lBUI3cJjwk
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 22, 2025
Injuries, however, stunted his rookie season to just six games played.
After working his way back from a calf injury suffered in the offseason, Nolen made his NFL debut in Arizona’s Monday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys.
He’d log two more full games of work before a knee injury in the Cardinals’ overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars put him back on the shelf for two more weeks before returning to action against Houston in Week 15.
Now with the latest news, it’s unclear when Nolen will make it back on the field in 2026.
“I just feel bad for the guy because I know he didn’t see this year going like it did,” Gannon said Monday. “I know he’s got goals he wasn’t able to achieve (due to injuries), but he has shown the ability to be a difference maker on our defense and impact the game in the run and pass game. He’ll be a huge piece of us moving forward.”
Arizona’s defensive line could look a whole lot different by the time he comes back, too.
While starters Dalvin Tomlinson and Darius Robinson are expected to return next year, plus rotational piece Dante Stills, Calais Campbell could be hanging it up for good after this season.
Add in the potential of Nolen missing time next year, and Arizona’s defensive line suddenly needs some work.
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Comments
3 Comments
How good Walter Nolen is going to be, is best evidenced by the fact that he was double-teamed by the Falcons on almost every play, and that no other Cardinal was getting double teamed unless it was a specific play design. Shout out to Darius Robinson, who had his best game, recording 7 tackles and a fumble recovery, and for just being really active, which activity levels has consistently improved as the season progressed. D. Rob seems to be being mentored by Calais who has obviously gotten thru to the young man. This is also the 2nd game in a row that the Broadcast pair have pointed out what a force D. Rob has become. Walter Nolen was already a force in his first game. Also liked the improvement in Cody Simon, who is making better decisions on the field, not getting fooled as often. IMHO, calling that interception a catch at the end of the game was really weak sauce, but it's that time of the year, and in games between non-contenders, I always think the Zebras are in a hurry to get home.
Blah blah blah. It's the NFL, suit up, make plays or don't. 3 injuries in less than 2 years is a pattern. The league is littered with coulda shoulda careers. Right now he's a 1st round bust. He sure didn't look in shape last game. He needs to rehab, get into NFL condition and earn his second contract.
I got a speck in my eye so I will no longer be able to watch the Cards on TV.
Thank God for small favors.