Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Undergoes surgery on left knee
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Nolen successfully underwent surgery on his left knee Tuesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Nolen suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Cardinals' Week 16 loss to the Falcons. The extent and severity of his injury is not clear, but he could be facing a recovery timeline that would put him jeopardy of missing the start of the 2026 campaign. The rookie first-rounder logged 11 tackles (eight solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass defenses and a fumble recovery for a touchdown across six regular-season games.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Sent to injured reserve
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The Cardinals placed Nolen (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Nolen suffered a noncontact left knee injury during Sunday's loss to the Falcons and had to be carted off the field. The exact nature of his injury isn't yet clear, but Nolen will miss the final two games of the season. This comes after Nolen missed the first seven games of his rookie campaign dealing with a significant calf injury. Through six games as a rookie, Nolen racked up 11 tackles (eight solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery across 169 defensive snaps.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Ruled out with knee injury
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Nolen (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Falcons, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen had to be carted off the field with a noncontact injury to his left knee. The 2025 first-rounder missed Week 13 and Week 14 with a knee injury, which may provide more clarity toward what happened on the field Sunday.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Tagged as questionable Week 15
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Nolen (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.
The rookie first-rounder was limited in practice during Week 15 prep, giving him a shot at returning Sunday from a two-game absence due to a knee injury. Nolen has played in just four of 14 regular-season games due to knee and calf injuries, and when he's played he has accumulated eight tackles (seven solo), including 1.0 sacks, one pass defense and one fumble recovery.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Back at practice Wednesday
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Nolen (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen's ability to practice Wednesday is a step in the right direction for the rookie first-rounder, who has missed the Cardinals' last two games due to a knee injury. He would avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Texans with a full practice Thursday or Friday.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Out for Sunday
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Nolen (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Rams, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
The 2025 first-round pick from Ole Miss didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and is now in line to miss his second consecutive game due to a knee injury. Nolen has played in just four games this season, recording eight total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, across 101 defensive snaps. Expect Dalvin Tomlinson to play an expanded role on the Cardinals' defensive line until Nolen returns.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Still no practice
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Nolen (knee) did not practice Wednesday, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen originally suffered the injury in Week 12 and missed Arizona's Week 13 loss to Tampa Bay. He has been unable to practice in any capacity since suffering the injury, casting doubt on a potential Week 14 return.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Ruled out with knee
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Nolen (knee) has been ruled out and will not return to Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
Nolen was a limited participant in practice this week with a knee injury, though it is unclear if that fact is related to the injury he sustained during Sunday's game. In the starting defensive tackle's absence, Dalvin Tomlinson or PJ Mustipher likely will play more rotational snaps on the defensive line.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Good to go Week 11
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Nolen (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen was limited in practice during Week 11 prep, but he has been given the green light to play Sunday after going through pregame warmups. The rookie first-rounder has posted six tackles (five solo), including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defense over his last two games.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Gets questionable tag for Sunday
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Nolen (knee) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the 49ers, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen was a limited participant at practice throughout the week, so he probably has close to coin-flip odds of playing in Week 11. If he can't, PJ Mustipher would figure to see additional work at defensive tackle Sunday.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Estimed as limited participant
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Nolen (knee) was estimated as a limited practice participant Wednesday, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen has been plagued by lower-body injuries during his rookie season, and he suffered a knee injury in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. It's a positive sign that he was available to participate in Arizona's walkthrough on Wednesday, though his status for a Week 11 matchup against the 49ers is unclear.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Green light to play Dallas
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The Cardinals activated Nolen (calf) from injured reserve, and he is active for Monday's game against the Cowboys, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
The rookie first-rounder has been cleared to make his NFL regular-season debut after missing the first seven games due to a calf injury he sustained during training camp. Nolen will likely work in a rotational role at defensive tackle when Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson are resting.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Still limited by calf injury
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Nolen (calf) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Nolen has been a limited practice participant since the Cardinals designated him to return from injured reserve Oct. 15. The rookie first-rounder will likely have to log full practices before being activated from IR ahead of Monday's game against the Cowboys. Nolen is in the final stages of his recovery from a calf injury he sustained in late July during training camp.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Remains limited Thursday
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Nolen (calf) was a limited participant at practice Thursday.
Nolen made his official return to practice for the first time since suffering a calf injury in late July. The defensive tackle has been on the reserve/PUP list for the entirety of his rookie campaign to this point, and he'll have one more chance to log a full practice before the team hosts Green Bay on Sunday.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Practice window opened
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The Cardinals designated Nolen (calf) to return from the reserve/PUP list Wednesday.
The 16th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft has been sidelined since the offseason due to a calf injury, but he has progressed enough in his recovery to be cleared to practice. Nolen was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, but he's far from a guarantee to make his NFL regular-season debut against the Packers on Sunday, even if he were to practice in full over the next two days. The Cardinals have 21 days to activate Nolen from the PUP list.
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Cardinals' Walter Nolen: Dealing with calf injury
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The Cardinals placed Nolen on the active/PUP list Wednesday due to a calf injury, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Nolen will be able to return to practice and participate in preseason games whenever he's ready. However, head coach Jonathan Gannon relayed Wednesday that the rookie first-rounder is expected to miss "some time," and the injury could keep Nolen out for the start of the regular season, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Nolen's absence opens the door for PJ Mustipher and Elijah Simmons to see more reps at defensive tackle during training camp.
