Walter Nolen’s injury is considered minor after the Seahawks game

Arizona Cardinals rookie Walter Nolen III avoided major injury danger in his second pro game. While the pick of the first round came out of The Cardinals’ Week 10 game against the Seattle Seahawksthe team does not expect his injury to linger.

The Cardinals have since deemed Nolen’s injury “minor,” according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The reporter also noted that Arizona expects to be available for a Week 11 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.

Nolen left the game after scoring two tackles and a quarterback. The match was his second after she played hers NFL debut in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys. Nolen previously missed the first seven games with a calf injury.

Despite the exit, Nolen still played 35 defensive snaps, second most on the team among interior defensive linemen behind veteran Dalvin Tomlinson. Calais Campbell and Dante Stills absorbed most of the snaps in his absence.

Although Nolen has yet to start a game, he has been very effective off the bench. The Ole Miss alum has a 71.3 Pro Football Focus player grade after two games, ranking in the top 25 percent among interior defensive linemen.

Walter Nolen III joins the Cardinals’ injury woes

The Cardinals defense will need to step up. The rookie is one of several struggling members of the team’s defense, who were used in the Week 10 loss.

Arizona faced the Seattle Seahawks without linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. or starting cornerbacks Will Johnson and Max Melton. Injuries have contributed to the continued absence of Lj Collier, BJ Ojulari and Sean Murphy-Bunting, who have all been out since the start of the season.

If Nolen fails and misses Week 11, the Cardinals would be without almost every defensive playmaker on their roster. Even with him in the lineup, Arizona gave up 372 yards and three touchdowns to the Seahawks.

The loss to the Seahawks prevented the Cardinals from starting another winning streak. Arizona is now 1-6 in its last seven games as it prepares for another divisional matchup against the 6-4 49ers.