Cardinals player Darius Robinson undergoes imaging for his injury

Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson will undergo imaging tests for an injury he sustained Thursday, according to CardsWire's Howard Balzer.

Balzer adds that imaging is scheduled for Friday.

Robinson, the 27th pick in the 2024 draft, was a smash hit as a fifth-year senior at Missouri in 2023. Trained as an interior defender, he moved to the outside in his senior year and recorded 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, boosting his NFL draft profile.

In mid-August, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said the first-round pick had a “1,000 percent” chance of getting a starting spot.

“The sky's the limit for that kid, man,” Arizona defensive end LJ Collier told reporters Wednesday. “I feel like that kid is going to do really well this year. He could probably be the best defensive rookie of the year if he keeps going the way I think he's on the right track.”

“The guy is a freak. The start, the way he runs, just his pass rush, man. The kid is just a baller.”

What is the depth of the Arizona Cardinals D-line with Darius Robinson injured?

The Cardinals' official roster lists three veterans as starting quarterbacks in the defensive line: Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones, two new free agent additions at defensive tackle, and returning player Roy Lopez as nose tackle.

Jones had 49 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season with the Chicago Bears, while Nichols had 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks with the Las Vegas Raiders. Both have long been available and signed multi-year deals to bolster arguably the worst position group last season.

Robinson, Collier and second-year pro Dante Stills were listed as second-team players, but are expected to fill roles in the D-line rotation.

Stills, a 2023 sixth-round pick, showed off his skills as a rookie last season with 3.5 sacks and 47 tackles. Collier was injured in the first game last year and did not play another snap, but has 45 games of experience with the Seattle Seahawks in the previous four seasons.

But Robinson became the X-factor of the defensive line as he managed to occupy a large part of the line.

“I think it gives the offense a different look because they don't know where we're coming from,” Robinson said earlier this month. “Plus, I'm a big technician, so I like to run inside because I run faster. When I'm outside, I can do more of my power rushes. … I love playing up and down the line.”

“It's really just based on our personnel group, so I'm just learning each position and all the different things you can do at the position so that no matter where coach wants to put me, I can go out there, line up and play.”

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