Cardinals DL Darius Robinson expected to miss multiple weeks with calf injury, report says

Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson is expected to miss multiple weeks with a calf injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The report says it is possible Robinson will start the season on injured reserve, which would knock him out until at least Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The news comes after the rookie reportedly went down with the injury on Thursday. Robinson was scheduled to have imaging done, head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Friday.

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

Robinson joined the Cardinals in April as the No. 27 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Missouri Tiger took centerstage moving to the outside as a fifth-year senior behind 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

His versatility has since been on display through training camp, so much so that Gannon said the first-rounder “1000%” had a chance at earning a starting role.

Typically if a player gets placed on IR before the regular season, he could miss the entire year. However, there is a new rule that allows teams to designate up to two players during the roster cutdown to 53 to return from injured reserve after missing the minimum first four weeks.

What does the Arizona Cardinals’ D-line depth look like with Darius Robinson out with a calf injury?

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 history of availability and were signed to multi-year deals to bolster arguably last season’s worst position group.

Robinson, L.J. 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.

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.”

Follow @AZSports