Arizona Cardinals' Former First-Rounder Named Breakout Candidate

The Arizona Cardinals have quite a few players ready to take a leap in 2025.

The expectation is that the entire roster will take a step forward, and that that will reflect in an increased win total for Arizona.

But regardless of whether or not the playoffs are ultimately in the cards for this team, there's still a wealth of young players who could make a significant impact.

One such player is former first-round DL Darius Robinson. Robinson's 2024 was anything but normal, as he was bitten by an injury and suffered the tragic loss of his mother.

A player that looked like a completely dominant force in training camp was held to minimal stats over minimal snaps. That all may change in 2025, however.

Arizona Cardinals Darius Robinson Named Breakout Candidate

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks put together his 2025 all-breakout defensive team, and Robinson was listed on the squad.

"Despite an injury-riddled rookie year that limited Robinson to six games, there is a lot to like about the versatile defensive lineman's potential impact as a second-year pro. The 6-5, 285-pounder flashed 'wrecking ball' potential while finding his way in fewer than 200 snaps as a rookie," Brooks wrote.

"With better health in Year 2, he should see his production spike while playing alongside a collection of veterans (guys like Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell) who command attention at the line of scrimmage."

Head coach Jonathan Gannon has referred to 2025 as "year 1.5" for Robinson, and that may be the most accurate way of looking at it. Robinson never truly got the runway he needed to take over as a dominant player.

In 2025, he'll not only (hopefully) have a full season's worth of health, he'll also have plenty of support along the rest of the DL.

With a heavy rotation of veteran and young players along the DL and edge brought in this offseason, Robinson won't have to save the day, but will have the chance to capitalize on group-effort pressures.

Robinson is too physically gifted to be an ineffective player. If he can remain healthy and focused, a major year could be coming up in 2025.

The Cardinals' defense could certainly use that added boost. They'll have multiple options now along the DL, but they were high enough on Robinson to spend a first-round pick on him in 2024, and his ceiling is that of an extremely dangerous player.

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