TEMPE — Things are looking up for the Arizona Cardinals ahead of their game against the Chicago Bears in Week 9. On top of winning back-to-back games for the first time since 2021, the franchise is welcoming back rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson to the 53-man roster following his activation off injured reserve this week.
It’s the required next step if the rookie, who suffered a preseason calf injury, hopes to play in 2024. His 21-day practice window was set to close for good on Wednesday.
Now, Robinson has even more of a clear path to regaining a starting role many believed he had locked up heading into the year.
The excitement is certainly there. Just the fact that Robinson was activated has Cardinals fans jumping for joy amid Arizona’s current standing atop the NFC West. And they should be amped given the versatile youngster’s potential and the need for a boost defensively amid a tight NFC West race.
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But before everyone starts inserting him back into the starting lineup or defensive line rotation, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Just because he’s activated doesn’t mean he’s automatically ready for game day.
“We’ll take it day by day with him and just keep working with him every day and hopefully improving every day and see where it goes,” head coach Jonathan Gannon told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday.
And that’s OK due to the circumstances Robinson has already gone through in Year 1. In addition to working through the calf issue, the 23-year-old has also had to deal with the passing of his mother, Valori.
Because of those two factors, Robinson has logged just one limited day of practice since being designated to return from the IR weeks ago.
So even if he did turn in a full week of work, it’s far from a sure thing he makes his NFL debut against the Bears this Sunday.
There’s always the chance he proves enough to the coaching staff that he’s ready to go, but Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis aren’t about to rush the young defender back for the sake of doing it.
“I know this isn’t how he wanted to start his rookie season, but I just told him to focus on one day at a time and not long-term goals at this point,” Rallis said. “I know (he’s) going to be a great player and just focus on one day at a time for when that gametime comes.”
Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis’ message to rookie Darius Robinson is simple:
“Just focus on one day at a time and not long term goals at this point.” pic.twitter.com/DY65L4KAiY
— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) October 29, 2024
All indications point to Robinson making an impact defensively. It’s just a matter of when.
Predicting Darius Robinson’s NFL debut
Taking into account Robinson’s very limited work at practice and how the schedule lines up the next couple of games, turning in two weeks of prep before being active on Sundays seems like the sweet spot.
That would mean the rookie would miss this week’s game against the Bears but be back in time to take on the lowly New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers at home in Week 10.
The other realistic spot in the schedule for a potential Robinson return is on the road against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 following Arizona’s bye week.