Defensive lineman anxious to put rocky rookie season behind him

Darren Urban

At one point during a recent conversation among teammates, someone referred to new/old Cardinals veteran Calais Campbell as "Mr. 110."

The nickname struckDarius Robinsonodd in the immediate moment. He remembered that safety Budda Baker had reached his 100th NFL start last year, but Campbell, being much older than Baker, had to be well past 110 starts.

Then it hit Robinson the 110 was the number of sacks Campbell had piled up in his career.

"I've only got one sack," Robinson said with a laugh on Wednesday while meeting with the media. "So I said, 'Yeah, I've got a lot of work to do.'"

Campbell is among a handful of defensive line additions the Cardinals made in the offseason, including first-round pick Walter Nolen III. But it can be argued that none could influence the season more than Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick who had his rookie season shattered by a calf injury.

Yes, Robinson returned to play six games at the end of the season after suffering his calf injury in August. Robinson looked like a steal of a first-round pick before his injury; he acknowledged it wasn't the same when he returned, and that he was constantly thinking about those six games when he was only showing "bits and pieces" of what he could be.

"I felt like in training camp, the tape was hot," Robinson said. "Coming back, it was cool. We're in Phoenix. I have to find a way to get it hot again."

Jonathan Gannon is the last guy to proclaim so plainly that a player wasn't hitting his peak during play. For all players, the coach said, they enter a new season trying to improve on the last.

"(Darius) has worked extremely hard this offseason, he looks good, he's ready to go," Gannon said. "He wants to get on the grass and play football. That's all of our guys. You are never a finished product. You're either getting better or getting worse whatever that means, kind of a clich, but it's probably true."

Asked if there was a concern Robinson still needed time to essentially play out the rest of his rookie season or if the Missouri product could make that Year 2 jump so many players do, Gannon was blunt. "He'll make that jump."

Robinson has shown signs of that tangibly. He has built his body and streamlined his eating and sleeping habits, wanting to prepare his body for more playing time. He stood in the back of the room when teammate Trey McBride had his press conference for his $76 million contract extension, marveling at the hearing McBride's story of playing little as a rookie and quickly blossoming.

"I heard his story, I think of my story," Robinson said, adding, "I feel I have a lot to prove."

The calf injury and how it lingered was difficult enough. Robinson's mother also passed away during the season, a personal tragedy that took its toll.

"Last year was the hardest year of my life but it was the best year of my life in the same year," Robinson said. "I definitely felt the lowest but I also felt the highest and I am ready to get back to the highest."

Long past the low points, Robinson has embraced his new home of Phoenix, buying a house, taking in other sports in the Valley as a spectator and getting out into the community. He loves the area, and knows he'll get plenty of love back as he puts the rocky rookie year behind him.

"At my lowest I kept showing up each day, I kept fighting in the pursuit of my dreams." Robinson said. "I realized it can't get worse that that. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and just go."

And try to put a dent into those other 109 sacks.