Walter Nolen injury update: Cardinals to place first-round pick on PUP list due to calf issue

The Arizona Cardinals will be without their first-round pick for at least the first four games of the regular season, as the club will place defensive tackle Walter Nolen on the Physically Unable to Perform List due to the calf injury he suffered in July, the team announced. 

Nolen was placed on the PUP list to begin training camp, along with BJ Ojulari and Bilal Nichols. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters at the time that Nolen injured his calf while training, and he was not sure if Nolen's recovery timetable could drift into the season. Unfortunately, it will.

This development likely gives Cardinals fans a case of unwanted deja vu. One of Arizona's first-round picks last year, Darius Robinson, played in just six games due to a preseason calf injury.

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Arizona selected Nolen, who attended Ole Miss after transferring from Texas A&M, with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after a season in which he earned consensus All-American status and first-team All-SEC. Nolen recorded 6.5 sacks in 2024, which was tied for fourth-most among FBS defensive tackles, and registered the second-best PFF run defense grade by an FBS defensive tackle as well (91.6). 

Nolen projected to be an immediate-impact player for Gannon's defense, but his debut will have to wait. The rookie was just one of the several notable additions Arizona made on the defensive front this offseason, a year after the Cardinals ranked bottom 10 in pressure percentage (30%), yards per rush allowed (4.6) and yards per play allowed (5.6).