Darius Robinson is playing with ‘nothing to lose’ in Year 3

TEMPE — A lot of the talk heading into this season for the Arizona Cardinals centered around Marvin Harrison Jr. taking that a big Year 3 jump given his 2024 first-round draft status.

It only took the Cardinals five weeks to firmly hit the eject button on his tenure in Arizona given his lack of production and overall role in the offense.

But what about the other 2024 first-round pick still very much in the franchise picture in defensive lineman Darius Robinson?

Following a tough start to his rookie year due to injury and the passing of his mother, Robinson has kept his head down working. The results, however, remained few and far between after two seasons.

That is until this year, with Robinson already notching career highs in both sacks (two) and quarterback hits (six) through seven weeks of work.

So, what changed?

 

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“Honestly, I have nothing to lose. I’m just playing so free and just having so much fun and just see ball, get ball,” Robinson said Monday. “That’s the phase I’m in and I’m just rolling.”

“I can’t go any higher than the league,” he added. “So, why am I stressing or being anxious about things I can’t control? Why don’t I just play like I’ve played my whole life and just play the game as free as possible and just have fun with it?”

Robinson isn’t seeing as many snaps as he had in recent seasons — he’s playing about 36% of available defensive snaps compared to 50% in of the past two seasons — but that hasn’t stopped him from showing up more on the stat sheet.

He’s currently tied for second on the team in sacks and is tied for third in pressures with seven.

From a pass-rushing standpoint, he’s helping make up for the void left behind by Calais Campbell’s departure and doing so in about half the pass rushes (65) as Walter Nolen III (132), whether that be off the edge or along the interior.

“I think it’s just comfort with the techniques and comfort with where he can take his shots,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said last week. “You just see his improvement every week, whether that’s in the run game or the rush. That’s the rush on pass downs. That’s the rush on normal down transition.

“I think it’s just an element of improving and I think the game has slowed down for him. You see the play speed and that ability now showing up at a high level.”

The game might be slowing down, but the film study has only continued to ramp up, Robinson said. As a true student of the game, that’s not surprising one bit.

Do two sacks, seven pressures and six QB hits scream first-round pick production? Not exactly. There’s still plenty for Robinson to accomplish both as a pass rusher and run stopper in 2026 and beyond.

They do, however, show clear steps in the right direction after a slow start to his NFL career.

The Cardinals have a big decision to make this offseason as to whether to pick up his fifth-year option. If he continues stacking games like he has this season, there’s a chance it becomes an easier move to make than originally thought.

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