In a world where Aaron Donald has returned to the NFC West, the Cardinals believe in their own version of an interior game wrecker can emerge.
[Walter Nolen III](/team/players-roster/walter-nolen/) showed signs of that last year, in between a calf injury that postponed his debut and a knee injury that curtailed his season. Six games does not a resumé make, and no one is saying Nolen can be Donald-esque.
But if there is going to be a defensive transformation for the Cardinals, Nolen has to be in front. Even he sees that.
"I feel like I'm the heartbeat of the defense," Nolen said. "A lot of times when I am on the field things move a little differently. When I'm on the field, I feel like we're going to kick ass."
That's what Nolen's new coach, Mike LaFleur, said recently, recalling that when he was the Rams offensive coordinator last season, watching the Cardinals defense play with Nolen looked different than the defense without.
LaFleur hasn't had that particular conversation with Nolen, but Nolen noted, "if he's saying that, I want to keep going."
LaFleur knows Donald. He was on the Rams staff for Donald's final season (or, at least, his final season before choosing to come back this week.) He was also on the 49ers staff for four seasons watching the destruction Donald caused.
"You know who the best (defensive back) was in L.A. over the last 10 years?" LaFleur asked. "Aaron Donald."
For LaFleur, talented edge rushers can still be schemed for whether it is motioning to get them off-kilter, or chipping with a back or tight end. The same can't be said for a interior standout, because using a tackle on a three-technique would expose a running back or tight end to one-on-one with a edge.