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The Arizona Cardinals are set to start training camp, and they will be without some key players to start, including their first-round draft pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon told reporters today that first-round pick Walter Nolen III will miss time with a calf injury he suffered while getting ready for training camp,” Schefter wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Gannon was unsure if Nolen would be healthy enough when the regular season starts, and it will be interesting to see if they just bring him along slowly.
“He’s recovering, rehabbing, and he’ll get out there when he needs to get out there,” Gannon said.
Nolen was selected by the Cardinals with the No. 16 pick of the NFL Draft, and the plan was for him to have a big impact on the team this season. Nolen played his last season of college ball at Ole Miss and put up the best numbers of his career, combining for 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He was named first-team All-SEC and the consensus All-American.
The Cardinals have the depth to replace Nolen for the time being, and the hope is that they can stay afloat while he’s absent.
With Nolen sidelined to start training camp, the Cardinals made sure they already had the depth on the line. The backend of the Cardinals’ defense has high expectations, including Budda Baker, who has been a standout player in the unit. During the offseason, Baker was honest about how he feels about the team going into this season.
“I was drafted here, I know it was a different GM and a different coaching staff, but for me all I’ve been trying to do is do my job at a high level each and every day,” Baker said on The Mina Kimes Show. “Of course, I’m a sore loser, I hate losing, and my career with the Cardinals has kind of been more losing than winning.
“But for me it’s just stay ten toes down, you believe in what you believe in, and I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in these players that we brought in, free agency, draft, and very excited for the future.”
The Cardinals have not done much winning over the past few years, but they have some things to look forward to this season, especially on offense, and this being the second season for Marvin Harrison Jr.
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