Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t want to guess whether rookie Darius Robinson could debut Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks or if he could play with a limited snap count.
But the head coach did say Robinson would be on the practice field Monday as Arizona ramps up coming off a bye week, adding that the first-round pick who hasn’t yet played a game was working behind the scenes last week.
Robinson injured his calf and began the season on injured reserve. He was activated from the designated-to-return list after sitting out for a minimum of four weeks. The defensive tackle used all of that 21-day window before the team was forced to activate him to the 53-man roster.
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Robinson had practiced once in a limited capacity heading into the bye week. During his rehab, the rookie also lost his mother, which perhaps complicated a potential return date.
“He’s had a tough road and a tough injury,” Gannon told reporters Monday. “He’s working his tail off to get back out there. He wants to get back out there. He had a good week last week. Our return-to-play people did a good job with him. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
Robinson over the weekend took in Missouri’s visit to South Carolina.
The Cardinals have awaited Robinson’s return as he was projected to start when the season began. Arizona has since lost fellow defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to season-ending injuries but scrapped to a 6-4 record despite having statistically one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL (31st in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate).
Robinson’s versatility at 6-foot-5 and 286 pounds could give the Cardinals a new weapon to push those pass-rush statistics out of the bottom five in the NFL.
At Missouri, Robinson piled up 8.5 sacks and 29 tackles with 14 tackles for loss in 2023.
He played inside and also came off the edge in college, the latter helping boost his draft stock into the first round, where Arizona selected him 27th overall.
Arizona Cardinals sign Andre Chachere to practice squad
The Cardinals on Monday signed safety Andre Chachere to the practice squad, making it a fourth separate stint with Arizona dating back to 2019.
His latest stint ended in August, and he more recently spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad before he was released in October.
The news gives Arizona depth at safety with starter Jalen Thompson nursing an ankle injury. That moved rookie Dadrion Taylor-Demerson into the lineup alongside Pro Bowler Budda Baker.