Latest news with #DariusRobinson
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals Year 2 player outlook: DL Darius Robinson
Arizona Cardinals Year 2 player outlook: DL Darius Robinson A look 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson and his second-year outlook in 2025 The Arizona Cardinals drafted 12 players in 2024. Some of them had contributions as rookies. Some will have greater roles in 2025. Others will have to battle for the roster. They selected defensive lineman Darius Robinson 27th overall in the first round. Entering Year 2 in the NFL, let's have a look at his 2025 outlook. DL Darius Robinson 2024 season Robinson's rookie season was tough. He injured his calf before the season and started his career on injured reserve. When he returned to practice halfway through the season, he had some soreness that caused him to not practice for a while and then his mother died. He was activated from IR and made his NFL debut in Week 12. In six games, he played 183 total defensive snapped and logged 10 tackles and a sack. Darius Robinson's Year 2 outlook in 2025 Robinson is healthy, which means he will play from Week 1. Now, will he play as much as fellow first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr.? No, but that is because he part of a very deep defensive line room. He might not start but he will play. The Cardinals like rotating interior defensive linemen, so that is expected. He should make impactful contributions, probably playing roughly 40% of the team's snaps. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
New Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat works to bring franchise same success he had in Philly
TEMPE, Ariz. — The most recent time edge rusher Josh Sweat was seen on an NFL field, he was making life miserable for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles' Super Bowl win in February . Now he hopes to lead the Arizona Cardinals to that sort of success. 'All you got to do is approach every day with your max effort,' Sweat said on Wednesday during the second day of the team's minicamp. 'I promise you'll see a result. That's what made the difference for me.' The 28-year-old Sweat signed a $76.4 million, four-year contract in March as the centerpiece of the Cardinals' rebuild of the defensive front. General manager Monti Ossenfort also added free agent linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, and selected Walter Nolen III with the No. 16 overall pick out of Mississippi. On top of that, Darius Robinson — a first-round pick last season from Missouri — hopes to make a big jump after an injury-filled rookie season. This year's third-round pick Jordan Burch is also pushing for a role. But it's Sweat whom the Cardinals expect to lead the way. 'I embrace it,' Sweat said. 'At the end of the day, I'm trying to be the best teammate I can be and help out however I can.' Third-year coach Jonathan Gannon is pleased that Sweat has embraced more leadership heading into his eighth NFL season. Arizona finished 8-9 last season, which was a four-win improvement over 2023. Now the franchise is trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. 'Guys pick his brain about certain things,' Gannon said. 'He'll help in that way, because he's played a lot of ball. He's been successful. I always say, 'You want to know ball, talk to the players.' He's one of those guys you can talk to.' Sweat's resume speaks for itself. He had 2 1/2 sacks of Mahomes in Philadelphia's 40-22 victory over Kansas City in the Super Bowl. He added eight sacks during the regular season and has been a consistent pass rush threat with 39 sacks over the past five seasons, including at least six each year. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. 'I know he can impact a game,' Gannon said. 'That's one of the reasons we signed him.' Gannon is familiar with Sweat's talent after spending two seasons with him in 2021 and 2022 as the Eagles defensive coordinator. The Eagles made the Super Bowl in Gannon's final year before losing to the Chiefs, which was one of the big reasons he earned his first opportunity to be a head coach with the Cardinals. Nick Rallis — Arizona's defensive coordinator — was also with the Eagles during those two seasons as linebackers coach. The hope is the familiar faces will help Sweat make a quick transition to a new franchise. 'From a standpoint of what his job description is — that's not going to change much,' Gannon said. 'Then it's just tweaking his game. There's some differences than what we did with him (in Philadelphia) to what we do now and he picked it up quick.' Sweat agreed: 'The scheme, you can play fast in it. Picking it up is easy. It's not going to take me very long at all.' ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
New Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat works to bring franchise same success he had in Philly
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The most recent time edge rusher Josh Sweat was seen on an NFL field, he was making life miserable for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles' Super Bowl win in February. Now he hopes to lead the Arizona Cardinals to that sort of success. 'All you got to do is approach every day with your max effort,' Sweat said on Wednesday during the second day of the team's minicamp. 'I promise you'll see a result. That's what made the difference for me.' The 28-year-old Sweat signed a $76.4 million, four-year contract in March as the centerpiece of the Cardinals' rebuild of the defensive front. General manager Monti Ossenfort also added free agent linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, and selected Walter Nolen III with the No. 16 overall pick out of Mississippi. On top of that, Darius Robinson — a first-round pick last season from Missouri — hopes to make a big jump after an injury-filled rookie season. This year's third-round pick Jordan Burch is also pushing for a role. But it's Sweat whom the Cardinals expect to lead the way. 'I embrace it,' Sweat said. 'At the end of the day, I'm trying to be the best teammate I can be and help out however I can.' Third-year coach Jonathan Gannon is pleased that Sweat has embraced more leadership heading into his eighth NFL season. Arizona finished 8-9 last season, which was a four-win improvement over 2023. Now the franchise is trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. 'Guys pick his brain about certain things,' Gannon said. 'He'll help in that way, because he's played a lot of ball. He's been successful. I always say, 'You want to know ball, talk to the players.' He's one of those guys you can talk to.' Sweat's resume speaks for itself. He had 2 1/2 sacks of Mahomes in Philadelphia's 40-22 victory over Kansas City in the Super Bowl. He added eight sacks during the regular season and has been a consistent pass rush threat with 39 sacks over the past five seasons, including at least six each year. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. 'I know he can impact a game,' Gannon said. 'That's one of the reasons we signed him.' Gannon is familiar with Sweat's talent after spending two seasons with him in 2021 and 2022 as the Eagles defensive coordinator. The Eagles made the Super Bowl in Gannon's final year before losing to the Chiefs, which was one of the big reasons he earned his first opportunity to be a head coach with the Cardinals. Nick Rallis — Arizona's defensive coordinator — was also with the Eagles during those two seasons as linebackers coach. The hope is the familiar faces will help Sweat make a quick transition to a new franchise. 'From a standpoint of what his job description is — that's not going to change much,' Gannon said. 'Then it's just tweaking his game. There's some differences than what we did with him (in Philadelphia) to what we do now and he picked it up quick.' Sweat agreed: 'The scheme, you can play fast in it. Picking it up is easy. It's not going to take me very long at all.' ___ AP NFL:
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals DL Darius Robinson learned from a difficult 2024 season
Arizona Cardinals DL Darius Robinson learned from a difficult 2024 season Darius Robinson speaks after his tough rookie year about going in to his second NFL season "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." -Charles Dickens from A Tale of Two Cities Arizona Cardinals second-year defensive lineman Darius Robinson was almost Dickensian Wednesday when putting into words what his first season in the NFL was like. He said simply, 'Last year was like the hardest year of my life, but then it was the best year of my life in the same year. So I definitely felt the lowest, but I also felt the highest and I'm ready to get back to the highest point. And I know that it takes a lot of hard work. So I'm just super excited for this year.' The highs, of course, began in April when the Cardinals selected him in the first round of the draft with the 27th overall pick. It continued during offseason work and training camp, a time he described as 'hot.' However, it all came crashing down when he suffered a calf injury on Aug. 22 and continued through a difficult rehab process that included the death of his mom Valori in October. When he finally got on the field for the final six games of the season, that 'hot' feeling in camp was now 'just cool.' But he learned from it. 'At my lowest, I kept showing up each day, I kept fighting in the pursuit of my dreams,' Robinson said. 'And I realize, it can't get worse than that. So honestly, just keep putting one foot in front of another and just go. Just really enjoy this. It's a blessing being here.' Being here was preceded by some time in Michigan where he was able to reflect on the previous nine months. Asked about an offseason reset after what he went through last season, Robinson said, 'Yeah, it was a lot. Going back to Michigan, taking care of some family stuff, trying to get closure with everything with my mom. But also thinking about this season and just replaying; I only played six games but just constantly rethinking about those six games and thinking about what I need to do to make that next jump in my game. 'I feel like in training camp, it was hot. The table was hot, everybody, it was hot. And coming back, it was just cool. So I gotta find a way to; we're in Phoenix, I gotta get it hot again.' Head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked before the first OTA practice Wednesday what he expects from Robinson. 'I think all our guys, it's, let's see where they can go,' Gannon said. 'And him being one of them. He's worked extremely hard this offseason. He looks good. He's ready to go. He wants to get on the grass and play football. So I think that's all of our guys and you're never a finished product. You're either getting better, or you're getting worse, whatever that means. It's kind of cliche, but it's probably true. 'So our guys are just looking to maximize themselves and get better as football players.' As for Robinson making the oft-discussed jump from Year 1 to Year 2, Gannon emphatically said, 'He'll make that jump.' Robinson was just as emphatic in agreement, saying, 'I think this jump from Year 1 to Year 2 is gonna be huge. So I'm just excited to compete and just put it on tape.' A big man already, Robinson is noticeably stronger in the upper body just as second-year receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is. Asked about the offseason work he put in, Robinson said, 'Just buying into it, realizing like every day I got 24 hours and what am I gonna do to make the most out of it? I feel like I got a lot to prove this year. So we just come in like seven or eight (in the morning) and leave at like 12 or 1. 'Me, Marvin, a bunch of the rookies, a bunch of guys in the building. So it's just grinding into it. And that's been fun all offseason, but we gotta keep going and just keep building our bodies, get strong, get fast, and get better. So I'm super excited.' Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
18-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals fall after free agency in new NFL power rankings
Arizona Cardinals fall after free agency in new NFL power rankings Despite a clearly improved roster, the Cardinals fell in new power rankings. The Arizona Cardinals have an improved roster after a week of NFL free agency in 2025. It is clear they have an improved team, between offseason additions and the expected return of other players who were injured. But where do they rank in the NFL compared to other teams? Eric Edholm put together post-free agency power rankings and the world champion Philadelphia Eagles are at the top, where perhaps they belong. But the Arizona Cardinals, despite their roster improvements, fell two spots from No. 17 overall to No. 19, the lowest mark in the NFC West. The Cardinals have been the quietest team in the NFC West -- by far -- at least in terms of buzz. The Seahawks have undergone a massive overhaul, the 49ers have lost a ton of big contributors, and the Rams have made major changes at receiver. Arizona's moves have paled in comparison, volume-wise. But there's hope that Josh Sweat can become a top pass rusher and a strong complement to Darius Robinson, Baron Browning and new nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. It's an interesting little group the Cards are putting together there. Arizona has intrigued me the past few seasons, but with this incarnation, I'm not quite there yet. And I'd have no problem with this team going offensive line in Round 1 and leaning even more into the run game next season. The Cardinals have been the quietest team in the NFC West -- by far -- at least in terms of buzz. The Seahawks have undergone a massive overhaul, the 49ers have lost a ton of big contributors, and the Rams have made major changes at receiver. Arizona's moves have paled in comparison, volume-wise. But there's hope that Josh Sweat can become a top pass rusher and a strong complement to Darius Robinson, Baron Browning and new nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. It's an interesting little group the Cards are putting together there. Arizona has intrigued me the past few seasons, but with this incarnation, I'm not quite there yet. And I'd have no problem with this team going offensive line in Round 1 and leaning even more into the run game next season. Have the Cardinals been the quietest? Sure, the Seahawks made bigger-name moves, adding Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, while the Rams added Davante Adams. Perhaps the 49ers' offseason has been louder because of the losses. But the Cardinals have an incredibly improved defensive front, which was their biggest weakness by far. Should they be ranked the lowest in the NFC West? It's understandable. They were ahead of everyone except the 49ers at the end of the season, but people still believe San Francisco is a competitor in the conference. So it would appear that, while the Cardinals are an improved team, they are not as improved as other teams around the league. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
