Walter Nolen III hurt his calf before he could begin his rookie year NFL training camp. The injury kept him out of the Arizona Cardinals’ first 7 games this season. He finally made his NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, and demonstrated everything Cardinals’ fans could have hoped for in the contest.
Nolen recorded his first NFL sack in Arizona’s 27-17 victory. He ended the game with 4 combined tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a QB hit and a pass defense in addition to the sack.
Nolen, who just turned 22 in October, spent his freshman and sophomore college seasons at Texas A&M. He transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2024 campaign. In Oxford, he blossomed into a superstar, recording 48 combined tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Rebels. He earned All-American status for his efforts.
Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon joined the Cardinals after serving as the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator. He saw the value a dominant defensive tackle can provide first-hand with Jalen Carter in Philly. Arizona is hoping Nolen can become their version of Carter. He still has a long way to go to reach those heights, of course, but Monday’s performance was a terrific start. He’ll look to provide a strong encore when the Cardinals battle the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10.
