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The 2026 league year is coming up very soon. It officially begins at 1 p.m. Arizona time on March 11, with the legal negotiating period beginning on March 9 at 9 a.m. Arizona time.
The Arizona Cardinals have several roster decisions to make before then.
Leading up to the new league year, we will profile every player on the roster, go over what they did last season, what their contract status is and what they face in 2026.
Next up is defensive lineman Walter Nolen III.
There must be something with Cardinals first-round defensive linemen and calf injuries. Nolen suffered his shortly before training camp, while Darius Robinson experienced the injury a few days before the third preseason game in 2024. Nolen opened the season on reserve/physically to perform, was activated on Nov. 3 and then suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve Dec. 23. The injuries limited him to six games and 169 snaps (43 percent). Nolen showed the production he’s capable of with 11 tackles (eight solo/five for loss), two sacks, five quarterback hits, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
In his second season, Nolen’s base salary is the league minimum of $1.005 million (guaranteed), but he also has a guaranteed $715,343 training camp roster bonus. The salary-cap charge is $4.4 million.
The big question is when Nolen will be cleared to practice. He underwent surgery on his knee and the Cardinals never confirmed reports that he suffered a torn ACL nor do we know whether there was other ligament damage. The offseason will be spent rehabbing and it’s likely he won’t be ready at the start of training camp, which will begin earlier than other teams because the Cardinals are playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Walter Nolen's contract status and 2026 offseason outlook
Continue reading...
The Arizona Cardinals have several roster decisions to make before then.
Leading up to the new league year, we will profile every player on the roster, go over what they did last season, what their contract status is and what they face in 2026.
Next up is defensive lineman Walter Nolen III.
Walter Nolen III 2025 season
There must be something with Cardinals first-round defensive linemen and calf injuries. Nolen suffered his shortly before training camp, while Darius Robinson experienced the injury a few days before the third preseason game in 2024. Nolen opened the season on reserve/physically to perform, was activated on Nov. 3 and then suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve Dec. 23. The injuries limited him to six games and 169 snaps (43 percent). Nolen showed the production he’s capable of with 11 tackles (eight solo/five for loss), two sacks, five quarterback hits, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Walter Nolen III contract status
In his second season, Nolen’s base salary is the league minimum of $1.005 million (guaranteed), but he also has a guaranteed $715,343 training camp roster bonus. The salary-cap charge is $4.4 million.
Walter Nolen III offseason outlook
The big question is when Nolen will be cleared to practice. He underwent surgery on his knee and the Cardinals never confirmed reports that he suffered a torn ACL nor do we know whether there was other ligament damage. The offseason will be spent rehabbing and it’s likely he won’t be ready at the start of training camp, which will begin earlier than other teams because the Cardinals are playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Walter Nolen's contract status and 2026 offseason outlook
Continue reading...
