Walter Nolen Cardinals injury scare is nothing to worry about, per Mike LaFleur

The Arizona Cardinals watched Walter Nolen leave with a leg injury back in November. The defensive linemen is dealing with a new NFL Injury concern. Yet head coach Mike LaFleur downplayed any concerns there Sunday at NFL Training Camp.

Nolen sustained a knee tweak following Arizona’s latest practice. But again, LaFleur helped declare that his defender is fine.

The 22-year-old arrived before LaFleur one year ago. He became the last first round selection for head coach Jonathan Gannon, landing at 16th overall in the 2025 class. Nolen rose to top 20 draft prospect following a stellar career with Ole Miss under former head coach Lane Kiffin.

Nolen managed to get his feet wet as a rookie, playing in six games but no starts. He compiled 11 tackles with eight solo stops and delivered five tackles behind the line of scrimmage. But again, his season became marred by that late season leg ailment.

So Arizona placed Nolen on injured reserve in December following a knee injury. It appears he started taking leaps in his second camp, including being named a projected starter.

The #AZCardinals release their first depth chart of 2026: pic.twitter.com/k59CFDDdoB

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) August 2, 2026

Nolen looks like he’s beating out veteran L.J. Collier for the other defensive tackle role. Meaning LaFleur is already liking what the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder brings to the field.

LaFleur managed to keep some continuity for Nolen and the other defenders. He retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis from the previous regime in Feb. 2026. That means the Cards will continue to operate in their odd man 3-4 alignment with Nolen beating on tackles and tight ends along the line of scrimmage.

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