The Arizona Cardinals selected Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now heading into Year 3, that former first-round draft investment is no longer even a starter for the Cardinals.
Arizona released its first depth chart for the 2026 season and its Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on September 13. First-year head coach Mike LaFleur has decided to start Dante Stills over Robinson, sending a clear message about the former first-round pick's productivity.
Arizona Cardinals depth chart heading into Week 1 against the Chargers: pic.twitter.com/cq1C4cLSxz
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) September 8, 2026
There were a few notable takeaways, such as the benching of recent No. 3 overall draft pick Jeremiyah Love in favor of the veteran Tyler Allgeier. But once RB2 Love returns to full strength from the high-ankle sprain suffered in preseason, this backfield is 100 percent still his for the taking.
With Robinson, it's not as clear-cut whether this starting opportunity is lost for good.
Darius Robinson is trending towards bust status for the Cardinals
At just 24 years old, Robinson still has that raw talent and untapped potential that comes from that first-round pedigree. He's also unfortunately dealt with early injuries of his own, totaling six games as a rookie and 15 last season.
But even if Robinson has put those injury woes behind him, what's more concerning is his inability to translate the physical tools that led to a dominant training camp into game action, whether in the preseason or the regular season.
While Robinson may have that higher ceiling as a former first-round pick, Stills has been the far more consistent and reliable option, both in terms of availability and productivity.
The West Virginia product was a sixth-round selection in the 2023 class, showing just how quickly things can change in the NFL. With Week 1 fast approaching and the start of what should hopefully be a successful LaFleur era underway in Arizona, Robinson simply ran out of time to prove to the Cardinals that he's close to reaching that ceiling.
It's not the end of the world considering how much they rotate the defensive line to keep bodies fresh; it's also not how the Cardinals or Robinson wanted this to play out after envisioning him as such a key anchor to this defensive just a few years ago.
By all accounts, this is a make-or-break Year 3 for Robinson, who is already off to a bad start after seeing his stock fall with the Week 1 benching in favor of a former sixth-rounder. He'll still get plenty of opportunities within that rotation regardless. But if Robinson can't win back his starting role, it's fair to wonder whether this was a draft bust.
Hopefully he responds well to this message from LaFleur and finds a way to right the ship in 2026.
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