TEMPE – In Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season, Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Darius Robinson was reflective.
“I am not who I thought I was,” he told reporters after a loss to Tampa Bay that dropped the team to 3-9.
Fast forward to July 2026, and Robinson is heading into his third season feeling confident about performing better.
“Super high because I know I can do it,” Robinson, 24, said at the team’s training facility on Tuesday. “It’s just, ‘Can you be consistent?’
“I got better and better each year in college. So that’s the same way I’m visiting it now in the league, and just having that mindset, just attacking and just one day at a time. So I’m super excited.”
The third season of a rookie contract is often viewed as a pivotal year, when early development gives way to expectations for consistent production. For Robinson it’s the same game.
“It’s just football, just playing a game and just putting one foot forward each day,” he said. “I feel if you overthink it, then that’s where you get all this pressure and stuff.”
Robinson has appeared in 21 NFL games with 12 starts, recording 53 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery through his first two seasons with the Cardinals.
After missing the majority of his rookie season due to a calf injury suffered during training camp, Robinson returned for the final six games and totaled 10 tackles and one sack.
In 2025, he finished with 43 tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. When asked how he’s preparing for the physical demands of training camp, Robinson laughed.
“Just getting swole,” he said.
Robinson is off to Las Vegas for the Sack Summit, a three-day event starting Thursday that brings together the NFL’s top pass rushers.He participated last year and finds the event to be worthwhile.
“It’s super beneficial because they have the best players there and they’ll tell you what they think on their rush moves and what’s their mindset, they’ll share information,” he said. “Nobody’s really gate-keeping.”
Robinson described his offseason approach as “watching the tape with a magnifying glass” and “focusing on the small things” within his craft. The defensive lineman has spent the offseason refining his pass-rush techniques.
“Working pass rush in the offseason, using my hands and all those different things to help me get the results I want,” Robinson said. “Focus on my get off, focus on my hands, my pad level and all that stuff, and that’ll take care of what I want to reach for myself.”
In addition to Robinson, the Cardinals will feature mostly familiar faces on the defensive front, including Dante Stills, Walter Nolen III and Josh Sweat. The group enters the season with a shared sense of urgency after falling short of expectations last year.
“We’re all hungry,” Robinson said. “It just really hasn’t been the results we’ve wanted. Everybody understands the target and what we’re willing to do to reach where we want to be. We got a lot of guys who are super motivated, super hungry and just super excited for this year.”
The Cardinals retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis this offseason, providing continuity for Robinson and the rest of Arizona’s defense. Despite Robinson’s modest stats, Rallis defended his play near the end of the season.
“I thought he did some really good things in the run game,” Rallis said, ‘knocking it back and being disruptive, playing fast and violent right now. He is a huge piece right now to our defense. I feel his presence. In terms of the pass game, he’s done a really good job of pushing the pocket to where, even if the ball gets out, quarterbacks are feeling him at their feet.”
Entering his third season in Rallis’ defense, Robinson believes his familiarity with the scheme will allow him to play faster.
“During OTAs, I didn’t really think about anything,” he said. “I just played, and I feel like that’s going to be a big help for me this year with familiarity with the calls and everything.”
After questioning himself following that loss to Tampa Bay last season, Robinson is entering Year 3 with a different mindset. Rather than setting statistical goals, he’s focused on accountability and letting his play speak for itself.
“I was expecting to be just a good teammate, be somebody that can be accountable each and every day, and really just let the tape do the talking,” Robinson said. “I really don’t want to put any goals or things out there.”
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