The Arizona Cardinals are 2-4 to start the 2026 season — which isn't something to write home about, though it's on par with what many were realistically expecting out of Mike LaFleur's first season in charge.
Stars are beginning to shine in the desert, though there's three Cardinals who are quietly building strong campaigns for Arizona:
Darius Robinson
So many were disappointed by Robinson's first two seasons in the league, and criticisms surrounding the former first-round pick were fair entering 2026. Robinson had lived nowhere near the level of hype that came with his arrival in 2024, and time was running out for his development to show on the field.
Robinson's steadily improved, and has gotten after the quarterback at much better rates — which might not be saying much compared to his prior outputs — but we demanded improvement, and Robinson has done just that.
Robinson is tied with Josh Sweat with the team lead in pressures (7) with four quarterback knockdowns. He has 14 tackles and one sack through six games.
He may never live up to the billing of a first-round pick, though Robinson is building himself into a piece Arizona wants to stick around beyond his rookie deal.
Roy Lopez
Lopez made his return to the desert after a short stint with the Detroit Lions last season, though the Cardinals re-signed him in free agency hoping to revamp their defensive line alongside fellow free agent addition Andrew Billings.
Billings has mostly been inactive, though Lopez has managed to make a legitimate impact for Arizona in the trenches, totaling 20 tackles (3 for loss) with one sack and one pass batted down as well.
The Cardinals have struggled to stop the run in recent years. Lopez has been an energetic and effective presence for Arizona, one that's fair to call underrated.
Elijah Higgins
Trey McBride commands most of the respect in Arizona's tight end room and overall offense. Rightfully so.
However, Elijah Higgins plays a massive role as the Cardinals' TE2. In an offense that uses plenty of multi-TE sets, especially 13 personnel, Higgins has carved out a strong role for himself to help his team far more than a typical backup tight end.
Higgins has caught all 11 targets thrown at him for 124 yards and one touchdown on the season. Perhaps equally as important, he's molded himself into a viable run-blocking tight end for Mike LaFleur to deploy as well.
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