In recent seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have been more of an afterthought. But, going into the 2025 NFL Draft, the organization wanted to continue flipping the narrative.
Look, when the Cardinals started to receive a little bit of a label last season as one of those scrappy teams, it wasn't by accident. Head coach Jonathan Gannon had a plan all along. His plan was to implement a stingy defense that wasn't going to lay down an die.
And, for the most part, you saw a whole lot of that in spurts last year. Fans would probably agree that this Cardinals defense did the very best they could with the situation they were in and the talent they held.
But, the Cards were far from done. The draft saw Arizona zero-in on one specific prospect at no. 16 overall and, when they were on the clock, he became a reality. It was Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen joining the Red Sea.
Walter Nolen completes the Cardinals' quest for a much-improved defensive line
This offseason, we saw the Cardinals add the likes of two veteran defensive linemen who continue to prove they've got plenty left in the tank despite being over age 30.
Nolen joins both Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson on a defensive front that also features Darius Robinson, their 2024 first-round pick.
By going out and adding not only Campbell, but Tomlinson, one could have argued that the two of them plus Robinson was looking like a mighty fine group. But, Gannon wasn't done adding talent. In Nolen, the Cardinals now have someone who can rotate in and be used in multiple spots if need be.
Nolen's skillset includes being a quick-twitch athlete right from the snap. He shows plenty of promise as a pass rusher, too, but can do it from both inside and outside when called upon.
Now having a front including four key linemen who offer a variety of skills, Gannon and the Cardinals should feel a whole lot better about that line than they did a year ago -- and so should the fan base.