In the Cardinals' Week 13 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, everyone, for the most part, was in pretty good shape. Sure, they lost 20–17, but Arizona witnessed the return of a pair of future stars on both sides of the ball.
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. returned after missing the past two games recovering from appendicitis, as well as rookie cornerback Will Johnson, who made his first appearance after being out with a hip and back injury.
The one big loss from the past weekend was rookie defensive tackle Walter Nolen III, who suffered a knee injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a game in which he scored his first-ever touchdown.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it seems as if there has been a massive relapse in terms of the injury report. While there is still plenty of time for recovery, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Walter Nolen III were both non-participants in Wednesday’s practice.
In his first game back from appendicitis, Harrison logged six catches for 69 yards against a solid Tampa secondary. This seemed to be a solid sign for the 23-year-old, who is still looking to prove to everyone that the “generational talent” expectations stamped on him out of college were legitimate.
However, Harrison was logged as DNP for Wednesday’s practice, raising questions about his availability for Sunday.
If inactive, Cardinals fans can only hope to see the resurgence of “wide receiver No. 1” Michael Wilson. In the two games he saw, Wilson recorded 303 yards on 25 catches.
Walter Nolen, who has looked like a home run draft pick since making his NFL debut in Week 9, is currently on track to miss his second consecutive week with a knee injury. In the four games he’s seen, Nolen has been a disruptor in the middle of the defense, paving the way for other pass rushers. If unable to go, this would be a huge loss for Arizona, especially against a team like the Rams.
While a rookie, Nolen has proven to be the backbone of the defensive line, as his ability to pave the way for rushers such as Josh Sweat has not gone unnoticed.
As for Harrison, his understudy (Michael Wilson) has picked up the slack in his absence, but we can only imagine what a healthy trio of Harrison, Wilson, and tight end Trey McBride would look like when fully healthy.
We were able to get a glimpse of that last weekend, but it didn’t blossom into what we thought it would. The potential is through the roof of the three, as Wilson’s numbers in the absence of Harrison could provide a path to success for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
We will find out more about the injuries to Harrison and Nolen closer to the weekend.