Nolen Gets a Nice Notice. He's Also Hurt.

PFF named Walter Nolen III their breakout player pick for the Cardinals in 2026, which is a reasonable call on talent. Nolen is a young defensive lineman with the kind of interior quickness that gets evaluators excited, and on a defensive front that has almost no proven depth behind Andrew Billings, the upside case for him is easy to construct.

The catch is that Nolen re-injured his left calf in early August, shortly after being activated, and has not been a factor in preseason. Josh Sweat is out entirely. The defensive line as a group has produced almost nothing in terms of documented playing time this summer. So the Cardinals are heading toward the regular season with a unit that looks good on paper in one specific, optimistic projection — and thin everywhere else you look.

The PFF designation is worth noting. Nolen may well be exactly what they think he is. But Arizona needs him healthy and on the field, and right now neither of those things is confirmed.