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Cardinals rookie Darius Robinson has a calf injury, severity unknown

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The good news is that Cardinals rookie Darius Robinson may not have a serious injury. It's a calf issue and the first-round pick is scheduled to undergo imaging on Friday to determine the severity of the injury.

The bad news is that coach Jonathan Gannon is not happy with the original reporting, as he said the injury occurred during the closed portion of the team's practice on Thursday.

“The reports that came out happened in the closed portion of practice, so I'm not really upset about it, guys,” Gannon told reporters Friday morning. “The guys that were there and didn't report it, thank you for following our guidelines.”

“Today we are taking pictures of him, he has a calf.”

When asked if he knew anything else about Robinson's condition, Gannon simply said, “We need to get the reports today.”

The Cardinals will announce Robinson's status at some point, but if it's just a calf strain, it's a huge sigh of relief for a team that lost potentially its best pass rusher just three weeks ago when BJ Ojulari suffered a season-ending torn ACL.

Although calf injuries can vary in severity, players can usually return to play within a few days or up to three weeks. If imaging shows Robinson suffered a partial or complete calf muscle tear, it could be worse and Robinson could be out for months.

The possibility of losing Robinson to a long-term injury would be devastating. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound player is the Cardinals' most valuable addition this year, selected 27th overall in April. He was drafted to improve Arizona's run defense and add momentum to the pass rush.

Gannon recently said Robinson has a “1,000 percent” chance of earning a spot at the starting position, and on Wednesday fellow defensive lineman LJ Collier predicted Robinson could win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

“The sky's the limit for that kid, man,” Collier said. “I feel like that kid is going to really hit it big 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, man. The start, the way he plays the run, the pass rush, man. The kid is just a baller.”

Robinson was named to the All-SEC first team last season at Missouri, finishing with 43 tackles, 14 for losses and 8½ sacks. It was his first year as an edge defender after spending his first few seasons as an interior lineman.

He was listed second-team on the Cardinals' latest roster behind defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols and nose tackle Roy Lopez. However, Gannon has planned to use Robinson in a variety of positions across the defensive line, including as a pass-rushing defensive end.

“I think it gives the offense a different look because they don't know where we're coming from,” Robinson said recently. “Plus, I'm a big technician, so I like to run inside because I can rush faster. When I'm outside, I can do more of my power rushes.”

“I love playing up and down the line.”

Time will tell how long Robinson will be out, but however long it is, it probably could have been a lot worse.

You can reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live on Roc and Manuch every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 910-AM.

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