Gannon: Cardinals’ Darius Robinson ‘on track to play’ vs. Vikings

It’s early in the week, but it sounds like Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson is trending toward making his NFL debut against the Minnesota Vikings.

“We’ll take it day by day, but yeah, he’s on track to play,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday when asked if Robinson had a good chance to suit up this week.

“I thought he had a good week last, so we’ll see how he looks on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and hopefully he has a good week and he’s ready to play,” Gannon added while on with Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.

It’s been a long road for Robinson, who began his rookie season on injured reserve due to a calf injury suffered ahead of initial 53-man roster cuts.

Robinson’s year took another tragic turn with the passing of his mother while rehabbing the calf issue.

Those factors played a big part in Robinson’s slow roll back to practice. Before last week’s participation, Robinson had only logged one day of limited practice despite being designated to return off IR on Oct. 9.

What might Darius Robinson’s workload look like?

If Robinson does in fact play, seeing a workload of around 15 defensive snaps is certainly in the realm of possibility.

Given how the team has operated, slowly integrating him into the game plan seems like the move.

Then again, the rookie’s football IQ and preparation is through the roof. If he can prove he’s physically game ready, maybe that number moves closer to 20.

But remember: Robinson hasn’t played in a non-preseason football game since last December. There’s bound to be some rust.

Jalen Thompson day to day

Much like Robinson, veteran safety Jalen Thompson appears to be heading in the right direction after missing back-to-back games with an ankle injury.

“Moving forward, JT will be back out there on Wednesday,” Gannon said Monday. “We’ll see how he does and take it day by day with him.”

In nine games played, Thompson has recorded 56 tackles, two passes defensed and two QB hits.

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