The Cardinals have already seen injuries to Josh Sweat, Garrett Williams, and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson on defense, but to say that this is only the tip of the iceberg is an understatement.
The team’s first-round draft pick, Walter Nolen III, was carted off the field after suffering a knee injury in the third quarter. This is the third injury that Nolen has seen in his rookie year. He missed the team’s first seven games with a calf injury before making his debut in Week 9. A few weeks later, Nolen suffered a knee injury that kept him out for two more weeks.
In his rookie campaign, Nolen has a pair of sacks and five tackles for loss. The highlight of the game was when he recovered a fumble for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Reported by The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie, Nolen didn’t have any injury history in high school or during his time at Ole Miss, which makes the 2025 season so disappointing. Mackie also reported that the injury to Nolen was non-contact, which is never a good sign.
Nolen wasn’t the only Cardinals star to exit the game with an injury, as safety Budda Baker went down with an injury of his own. Baker, the longest tenured defender on the team, is being evaluated for a concussion and was taken back to the locker room.
UPDATE: Baker cleared to return
The secondary has been especially riddled by injury coming into today, as both safety Jalen Thompson and cornerback Max Melton were ruled out.
This has been the story of the Cardinals’ season, injury upon injury. The team has been missing key players on both sides of the ball due to injuries suffered in the games they’ve played, and today has not been any different.
The Cardinals trail the Falcons 26–16 in the fourth quarter.