Walter
Nolen III
DT
#97
Walter Nolen III
#97DT
Arizona Cardinals
Height : 6' 4" · Weight : 300 lbs · Age : 22
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Contract
Arizona Cardinals payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 4.40 M$
- Average per year
- 4.84 M$
- Total value
- 19.4 M$
- Seasons left
- 3 · through 2028
2026
4.40 M$
Guaranteed
2027
5.28 M$
Guaranteed
2028
6.16 M$
Guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Interior defensive line
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (3 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular interior defensive line: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
4
7th percentile
Sacks
0.0
32th percentile
Pressures
4
70th percentile
QB hits
2
63th percentile
Tackles for loss
0
27th percentile
Forced fumbles
0
44th percentile
Passes defended
0
35th percentile
Missed tackle rate
—
Defensive snaps
110
13th percentile
Games
3
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.0
Games
17
WAR 2026
0.0
Games played
3
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
→ Stable (-2)
- 20250.0 WAR · 0.000 per game
- 20260.0 WAR · 0.000 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
+23 · 22 y.o. · usually still improving
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
75
Established starter
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 84
- RDF
- Run defense
- 75
- TCK
- Tackling
- 71
- DUR
- Durability
- 57
- EX
- Experience
- 25
Why these ratings?Hide details
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
WAR
0.0
#12 of 47 regular interior defensive line
PAL Rating
31 / 100
#33 of 47 regular interior defensive line
Value Rating · 2025
91 / 100
2025 PAL (93) against 2026 salary: the contract's average per year (APY), $4.8M.PAL expected for this salary: 48Rookie-scale contract: a salary set by the draft, not the market.PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | Sacks | Prss | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ARI | 3 | 0.0 | 31 | 75 | 4 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | ARI | 6 | 0.0 | 93 | 83 | 10 | 2.0 | 7 | 5 |
Walter Nolen III in five questions
What are Walter Nolen III's stats in 2026?
Walter Nolen III has 0 sacks and 2 QB hits in 3 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is Walter Nolen III?
Walter Nolen III is 22 years old. He is 6'4" (193 cm) and weighs 300 lb (136 kg).
How good is Walter Nolen III?
Walter Nolen III produced 0.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress), 15th of 47 players at his position in the NFL. His PAL rating is 31 out of 100: below average for his position.
What number does Walter Nolen III wear, and what team does he play for?
Walter Nolen III plays for Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, at DT, and wears number 97.
What is Walter Nolen III's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.0 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
