Kaleb Proctor

As the Cardinals transition to Mike LaFleur as head coach, they retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis from the Jonathan Gannon period. Rallis’ unit has notable question marks along the defensive line, as the jury is still out on recent first-rounders Walter Nolen and Darius Robinson.

Arizona, which lost Calais Campbell in free agency, made another investment in the position early in the fourth round by selecting Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor. The No. 104 overall pick, though, may not be healthy when the the Cardinals open their season. LaFleur said (via Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer) Proctor suffered a torn meniscus during OTAs.

LaFleur did not rule out this being a season-ending injury. Proctor, among a handful of players from this draft class to not yet sign a rookie contract, was a consensus Division I-FCS All-American in 2025. He finished with nine sacks to become the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year. He was the first FCS player drafted this year.

The Cardinals saw Nolen run into multiple injuries derailing his rookie season. A calf injury suffered during offseason workouts sidelined the 2025 first-rounder until Week 8, and he suffered a season-ending knee injury two months later.

Nolen, who underwent surgery late last season, played just six games as a rookie. Robinson, meanwhile, finished his second season as Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded interior D-lineman (among 127 regulars). Campbell rejoined the Ravens in free agency, though the Cardinals did bring back Roy Lopez after his Lions season. The team also signed Andrew Billings and Jonah Williams (not the two-year Arizona RT), but Proctor was the only D-lineman the team drafted this year.

Elsewhere on the Cardinals’ defense, Garrett Williams is rehabbing an Achilles tear suffered in Week 16. Arizona’s primary slot cornerback over the past three seasons, Williams played 10 games in 2025. He underwent surgery late in the season and is on track to return by Week 1, LaFleur added (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban).

Williams is expected to be back during training camp, per LaFleur, who places Week 1 as a realistic goal. This would be a welcome development for all parties, as Williams — a 2023 third-rounder — has logged at least a 75% snap share on defense over the past two seasons. The Syracuse product, who ranked as PFF’s No. 3 overall corner in 2024, is entering a contract year. The Cards do not much in the way of known commodities at corner, so having Williams back to open the season would be a nice bonus as Rallis attempts to revive a defense that ranked 31st last season.