Walter Nolen: Everything you need to know

Coach Mike LaFleur said Wednesday that Nolen (knee) is trending towards being ready for training camp in July, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Nolen underwent surgery in December to repair a torn meniscus, so a return for training camp seems like a reasonable timeline. As long as he remains sidelined during practice, PJ Mustipher could see more work with the first-team defensive line.

Nolen (knee) did not participate in the Cardinals' OTA on Monday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports. Nolen's absence for the start of OTAs comes after the 22-year-old suffered a non-contact knee injury in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. The second-year starter still faces an unclear timetable for his return, but time will tell if Nolen is ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Nolen successfully underwent surgery on his left knee Tuesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Nolen suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Cardinals' Week 16 loss to the Falcons. The extent and severity of his injury is not clear, but he could be facing a recovery timeline that would put him jeopardy of missing the start of the 2026 campaign. The rookie first-rounder logged 11 tackles (eight solo), including 2.0 sacks, two pass defenses and a fumble recovery for a touchdown across six regular-season games.