The Arizona Cardinals are activating rookie offensive lineman Christian Jones from injured reserve, while first-round defensive lineman Darius Robinson is considered day-to-day, head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters on Wednesday.
Jones landed on IR on roster cutdown day in August with an ankle injury after the Cardinals selected him in the fifth round of the draft out of Texas. The Cardinals opened his 21-day practice window on Oct. 2.
The 6-foot-5, 318-pound blocker played both tackle positions in college, primarily on the right side during his final two seasons, and will provide depth to a unit down starting right tackle Jonah Williams and right guard Will Hernandez. Williams has a chance to return this season, while Hernandez is done.
“He’s been playing football here for a couple weeks now, he looks good,” Gannon said of Jones. “He’s getting back in the groove of moving people in the run game and keeping the quarterback upright. So, technique, technique, conditioning. He’s doing a really good job.”
Darius Robinson to ramp up for Cardinals
Robinson has also yet to make his NFL debut, as he was placed on injured reserve the same day as Jones with a calf injury.
His 21-day practice window will run out next week, so he could miss one more game before the Cardinals have to activate him or lose him for the rest of the season. He did not practice last week, but Gannon said the rookie will ramp up ahead of Sunday’s game at the Miami Dolphins.
“He’s got his head down. He’s gonna keep improving and making sure he is where he needs to be before he goes in the game,” Gannon told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “I like where he’s trending, and we’ll kind of take it day-by-day with him.”
Robinson was the No. 27 overall pick out of Missouri, where he played all over the defensive line in college and impacted quarterbacks with 12 sacks and 37 hurries over his last two seasons.
The Cardinals have dealt with injury after injury for their front seven, including season-ending ailments for Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones and Dennis Gardeck. Gannon refrained from setting expectations while noting the potential Robinson brings the defensive line.
“He hasn’t played a snap yet, so I don’t think I’m going to put too much expectation on him, but I know he can be a really good player for us and play multiple spots for us and impact the game,” Gannon said. “So I look forward to when he has a jersey on.”
