Walter Nolen’s rookie season ends after his second knee injury of the year.
It has been an unlucky season for Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Walter Nolen. His season ended on Tuesday when the Cardinals placed him on injured reserve. He suffered a knee injury in the team’s 26-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium.
The 2025 first-round pick had a promising year that was marred by injuries.
He injured his calf training before training camp, started the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) reserve and missed the first seven games of the year. He hurt his knee after playing four games and missed two more. Now he suffered another injury and will miss the final two.
The final totals for his rookie season are six games, 11 total tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback hits, two tipped passes and a fumble recovery.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon wasn’t sure if Nolen would need surgery. If it is an ACL tear, it means he will miss a good chunk of the 2026 season, so hopefully that is not the case.
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