Reports surfaced Thursday that Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson was injured in practice. Coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed Friday that Robinson injured his calf and is undergoing an MRI to determine the severity.
The injury happened in the closed portion of the team’s practice, annoying Gannon that the injury became public.
“Reports that came out happened in the closed portion of practice, so I’m not real fired up about that, guys,” Gannon said, via video from PHNX_Cardinals. “The guys that were there and didn’t report on it, thank you to adhering to our policy.
“He’s getting imaging today. He’s got a calf.”
Gannon added that he would not know the prognosis until the knowing the diagnosis.
The Cardinals obviously are crossing their fingers that Robinson’s injury is a strain and not a tear. They already have lost their best pass rusher, BJ Ojulari, to a season-ending torn ACL.
The team has big plans for Robinson, the 27th overall pick.
Gannon recently said Robinson had a “1000 percent” chance to earn a starting job, and fellow defensive lineman L.J. Collier lauded Robinson as a possible defensive rookie of the year.
Robinson is listed as second-team on the Cardinals’ latest depth chart behind defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols and nose tackle Roy Lopez.
The Cardinals open against the Bills on Sept. 8.