The Arizona Cardinals suffered another massive injury to their defensive front. Howard Balzer of Cards Wire reports defensive lineman Darius Robinson will undergo imaging on Friday to determine the extent of an undisclosed injury suffered in Thursday’s practice. His colleague, Chuck Harris, added that Robinson was carted off the field.
Robinson was selected by the Cardinals with the 27th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. A versatile lineman that could line up as far inside as the 0-technique (head up on the center/ball) and as far wide as a 9-technique (outside shoulder of the tight end) and play with a strong motor, he was on track to play a critical role in the defense. He looked excellent in his first preseason action against the New Orleans Saints and didn’t play much, if at all, against the Colts the following week.
The Cardinals already lost second-year edge rusher BJ Ojulari to a torn ACL earlier in the month, which already will negatively impact the team’s ability to rush the passer. Should Robinson miss the season with this injury, they could be without arguably their best edge and interior pass rusher without playing a single snap in the 2024 season. That could be a nightmare scenario for a Cardinals defense looking to perform much better than their 31st-ranked scoring defense in 2023.
With the loss of both Ojulari and Robinson, they’ll need players such as Xavier Thomas and Cam Thomas to step up and get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Xavier Thomas has flashed in both of his preseason games. While the team has spent a lot of draft capital on the secondary, it is an “all hands on deck” situation for the Cardinals pass rush that may also require defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and head coach Jonathan Gannon be more creative in scheming up pressures.
