The Cardinals' D-Line Is Already in Trouble and the NFC West Needs to Pay Attention

Okay, 12s, even as our Seahawks gear up for what's sure to be an epic regular season, we've got some early intel coming out of the NFC West, and trust me, it's spicy. Our division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, are already taking hits, literally. Their fourth-round defensive tackle, Kaleb Proctor, picked 104th overall, just tore his meniscus during OTAs. Head coach Mike LaFleur isn't even ruling out this being a season-ending injury! This dude was a consensus Division I-FCS All-American last year with nine sacks and the Southland Conference Player of the Year. Now, before he's even played a snap, he's a massive question mark for Week 1. You gotta wonder what this means for their defense, and for us in the Emerald City.

D-Line Depth Chart Blues Already Hitting

Proctor was their only D-lineman drafted this year, which is wild when you look at the state of their front. Remember Walter Nolen, their 2025 first-rounder? He was sidelined with a calf injury until Week 8 last year, then had a season-ending knee injury two months later. He had surgery and played just six games as a rookie. Then there's Darius Robinson, who finished his second season as Pro Football Focus' lowest-graded interior D-lineman among 127 regulars. Yikes. They lost Calais Campbell in free agency, brought back Roy Lopez, and signed Andrew Billings and Jonah Williams, but man, that D-line is looking rough even before the season really kicks off. Nick Rallis, their defensive coordinator from the Jonathan Gannon era, has his work cut out for him trying to revive a defense that ranked 31st last season. This early trend is not great for them, but definitely something our Hawks can exploit.

Another Key Defender in Limbo

And it's not just the big guys upfront. Their primary slot cornerback for the past three seasons, Garrett Williams, is still rehabbing an Achilles tear he suffered in Week 16. He underwent surgery late last season, and while LaFleur expects him to be back by Week 1 and during training camp, that's a serious injury. Williams, a 2023 third-rounder, played 10 games in 2025 and logged at least a 75% snap share on defense over the past two seasons. He was even PFF's No. 3 overall corner in 2024! Plus, it's a contract year for him. If he's not 100% to start the season, that's another gaping hole in an already leaky defense that lacks known commodities at corner. Elsewhere in the NFC, the Giants are also sweating a bit over Malik Nabers' torn ACL and meniscus, especially after he needed a cleanup surgery in April. GM Joe Schoen is optimistic Nabers will be ready for their September 13 opener against the Cowboys, saying, "I still think he'll be fine Week 1. So we'll see. He's trending in the right direction. Again, these things take time." For our Hawks, it's still early in the regular season, but seeing our division rivals struggle with injuries already? You just know Mike Macdonald is taking notes on every single one of these developments. Every advantage counts as we look to climb the division standings. We're looking forward to every snap, making sure we're on top. Go Hawks!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.