Darius Robinson was sidelined for the Cardinals’ first five games of the season, but he could be close to suiting up. The first-round rookie had his practice window opened on Monday, per Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.
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Robinson suffered a calf injury in August, threatening his Week 1 availability. To little surprise, Arizona elected to designate him for return from injured reserve ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. Teams were permitted to do so with two players in 2024 as part of an IR rule tweak, and the Cardinals took that route with Robinson as well as O-lineman Christian Jones.
During a five-year run at Missouri, Robinson primarily worked along the defensive interior. During the 2023 campaign, however, he played on the edge and enjoyed success in a pass-rushing role. The 23-year-old racked up 8.5 sacks (a major jump compared to his previous career high of 3.5) along with 14 tackles for loss. That production put him in the first-round conversation, and Arizona selected him at No. 27.
Robinson’s addition came about as the Cardinals sought to bolster their pass rush. That unit suffered a notable blow before the regular season even started when BJ Ojulari suffered an ACL tear, shutting him down for the campaign. Especially with Ojulari out of the picture, Robinson could find himself logging at least a notable rotational role once he is activated.
Today’s move opens gives Arizona 21 days to officially bring Robinson onto the active roster. One of the team’s eight IR activations was already used when he was designated for return, which also applies to Jones. The latter practiced last week, though he has yet to be activated. A move on that front for he and Robinson should be expected to take place relatively soon.