Arizona Cardinals' Biggest Breakout Candidate Revealed

The Arizona Cardinals have more than one player who could be in line for a potential breakout season in 2025.

It's a nice change of pace. Instead of wondering where Arizona could possibly find production, this offseason's speculation has come down to the nitty-gritty of who will be providing the most explosiveness, relative to their previous years.

With so much defensive talent added, there's plenty of that speculation to go around. But according to one major national outlet, the choice is clear.

Arizona Cardinals' Darius Robinson Named Breakout Candidate

According to The Athletic's Doug Haller, former first-round DL Darius Robinson is the Cardinals' biggest breakout candidate.

"Walter Nolen was Arizona’s first-round draft pick in April, but really, the Cardinals are getting two first-round defensive tackles this season. Robinson was a first-round pick last year, drafted 27th, but he suffered a calf injury in training camp and spent the rest of the season trying to catch up. It showed," Haller wrote.

"Overall, Robinson played in only six games and failed to make much of an impact (10 tackles and one sack). It was like a college redshirt season."

"Entering this season, Robinson is healthy and positioned to make his mark. In addition to Nolen, the Cardinals also signed vets Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson. The unit should be the most improved on the team, and Robinson will play a big part."

Robinson's poor output in 2024 is not his fault. He suffered a major injury in camp, then dealt with the tragic death of his mother. It's no wonder he wasn't at full strength.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon calls 2025 Robinson's "year 1.5," and there's a general expectation that he'll play up to his first-round pedigree once he does take the field at full health.

He may not deliver some kind of major 10-sack season, and that's perfectly fine considering the rest of the DL options available to Gannon's rotation.

Robinson doesn't need to be the best player on the field in order for Arizona to find pass-rushing production, but will have enough support around him to be able to find his rhythm and stride.

It's easy to forget that he was far-and-away the most dominant DL at 2024's camp before the injury. There's a very high ceiling present on the former first-rounder, and it likely won't take that much to begin unlocking it.

The Cardinals' defense will be a scary group in 2025.

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