Cardinals' Defensive Line Is Down to One Reliable Starter Before Camp Ends

Josh Sweat went to the PUP list with a knee injury on July 24. Kaleb Proctor followed him to injured reserve on August 1. PJ Mustipher landed there the same day. That's three defensive linemen gone before a preseason snap has been played, and the news on Walter Nolen — who re-injured his left leg in early August — suggests the one addition Arizona made to address the mess may already be compromised.

What's left up front is thin by any measure. Andrew Billings is the one defensive tackle who logged meaningful time last season; behind him, the depth chart is names without snaps. On the edge, Jonah Williams and L.J. Collier exist as options, but the drop from Sweat to that room was already steep even when Sweat was healthy.

This is the same defensive line that couldn't generate consistent pressure last season, during a collapse that cost Arizona nine straight games to close 2025. The front four wasn't the only reason for that skid, but a rotation that can't stay on the field doesn't help a team that was already losing close games it should have won.

Jonathan Gannon's staff has been reactive all offseason — plugging one hole while another opens. The secondary note I wrote yesterday applies here too: at some point the volume of these moves stops looking like bad luck and starts looking like a depth problem that predates camp.