It was almost exactly a year ago (Aug. 22) that Arizona Cardinals then-rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson suffered a calf injury in practice three days before the final preseason game against the Broncos.

That injury led to an essentially lost season for Robinson, who also experienced the death of his mother in October and eventually played in only six games.

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Fast forward and the 2024 first-round pick has had a strong presence this summer, so defensive coordinator Nick Rallis was asked Tuesday how much he thinks that motivated him this year.

“I don’t know if it would have changed at all,” Rallis said. “I think he’s going to be a hungry guy. He wants to be great. And so whether he would have played last year or he had the injury that set him out for the first part of the year, like he’s going to work no matter what. He wants to be great and so he puts in that time.”

Robinson said recently he hoped to shine in training camp like he did last year andRallis was asked if he’s back to where he was or surpassed that this year.

He said, “I don’t know if I’m going to sit here and try to compare to where he was. I know last year I saw a really good player and this year he’s doing some really good stuff. Obviously, there are things that he can improve on, but I see a guy who is consistent with how he works, consistent with how physical he plays when we got the pads on in practice or in the games.

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“And I’ve seen parts of his game improve from where he was a year ago. So, I would say he’s continually getting better from one day to the next.”

Noting how mentally strong Robinson is, Rallis concluded, “He works. Every day I need to meet before everyone’s meeting and I’m staying after the meeting. When we were over at the stadium, my office was in the D-line room and it felt like his office too because he’s just always in there.

“So, I think that’s a huge reason why he’s so confident in what he’s doing and why he’s playing so fast is because he puts in the time.”

Elsewhere on the line, Rallis was asked what he’s learned from up-close looks at free agent addition Dalvin Tomlinson that wasn’t as noticeable on tape.

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“I think you can see the player that he’s been show up on the practice field,” Rallis said. “He’s hard to move in the run game, but his feet are sweet. It’s unbelievable how agile he is at his size. And I think that was the first thing that kind of wowed me in person is just seeing that back in OTAs.

“And then you see it transfer into the team periods now during training camp. So that along with just pushing that pocket, he can be very disruptive inside.”

Meanwhile, from hardly being talked about earlier in the offseason to where he is now, Dante Stills is proving he continues to belong in the line rotation.

Rallis said Stills’ big area of growth is consistency. He said, “In his first two years, he definitely flashed the athlete that he is, the power that he has. I’m seeing him do it now on a more consistent basis and I can tell his confidence, as it should, has grown because when you see yourself continually make plays, you realize I’ve put in this work to get to this point and I can go out there and make plays on Sunday.

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“So, the biggest thing is consistency. I see him do it every day. Not to say that he doesn’t have a bad play here or there, but I think he is playing with his hair on fire. His motor and violence is there. So, he’s doing a great job.”

Stills’ father Gary, uncle Ken and cousin Kenny played in the NFL, so Rallis was asked how the family background has helped him.

“I think it’s just knowledge of the game and love for the game, honestly,” Rallis said. “You see the passion come out with him. He’s another guy like DRob that puts in a lot of time and cares deeply like our whole locker room honestly, but I think it shows with him.

“He’s in Year 3 now. This is a huge year where a lot of guys take jumps and that’s what I’m seeing.”

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Darius Robinson growth and the rest of the Cardinals D-line