Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen III’s rookie season is over after suffering a knee injury Sunday, head coach Jonathan Gannon said.
Gannon also announced a season-ending Achilles injury for cornerback Garrett Williams. 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.
