Cardinals rookie Darius Robinson undergoing imaging for calf injury

Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson will have imaging done for a calf injury suffered Thursday, head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Friday.

Gannon said the injury came during a closed portion of practice.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said rookie DL Darius Robinson is getting imaging done for a calf injury suffered during the closed portion of Thursday’s practice. pic.twitter.com/6dzAamlYt5

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) August 23, 2024

Robinson, the 27th overall pick in the 2024 draft, blew up as a fifth-year senior in 2023 at Missouri. Developed as an interior lineman, he moved to the outside in his final year and posted 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, jolting his NFL Draft profile.

By mid-August, Gannon said the first-round pick “1000%” had a chance to earn a starting role.

“The sky’s the limit for the kid, man,” Arizona defensive lineman L.J. Collier told reporters Wednesday. “I feel like the kid’s going to ball this year. Arguably might be defensive rookie of the year if he stays on the track that I think he’s going to be on.

“The dude’s a freak man. The get-off, the way he plays the run, just his pass-rush, man. The kid’s just a baller.”

What does the Arizona Cardinals’ D-line depth look like with Darius Robinson injured?

The Cardinals’ official depth chart has listed three veterans as the starting defensive linemen: Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones, two free-agent additions at defensive tackle, along with returnee Roy Lopez at nose tackle.

Jones posted 49 tackles, 4.5 sacks last season with the Chicago Bears, while Nichols tallied 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks with the Las Vegas Raiders. Both have a strong history of availability and were signed to multi-year deals to bolster arguably last season’s worst position group.

Robinson, Collier and second-year pro Dante Stills have been listed as second-team players but are expected to have roles within the D-line rotation.

Stills, a 2023 sixth-round pick, showed flashes with 3.5 sacks and 47 tackles last season as a rookie. Collier injured himself in the first game last year and didn’t play another snap but has 45 games of experience with the Seattle Seahawks in the four seasons before that.

But Robinson slotted in as the defensive line’s X-factor thanks to his ability to line up across a majority of the line.

“I think it creates a different look for the offense because they don’t know where we’re going to be coming from,” Robinson said earlier this month. “Also for me, I’m a big technician so I like rushing inside, because I can do my quicker rushes. If I’m outside, I can do more of my power rushes. … I love playing up and down the line.

“It’s really just based off our personnel group, so that’s why I’m just learning each position and all the different things you can do at the position so that wherever coach wants to line me up at, I’ll be able to go out there, line up and be able to play.”

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