Robert Nkemdiche cut by the Arizona Cardinals after showing up to camp out of shape

Published 11:15 am Sunday, July 28, 2019

Former Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.

First-year Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was blunt when addressing the situation, saying Nkemdiche showed up to camp “not in shape.” A source close to the team told the EAGLE Nkemdiche was both overweight and showed up with a bad attitude. The former first-round pick was “indifferent and frequently ignored” things the coaching staff would talk about.

Nkemdiche never really lived up to the hype in the NFL, and has dealt with a plethora of off-field issues. A former No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school in 2013, he slipped to No. 26 in the 2016 NFL Draft. In the December leading up to the draft, he fell out of a fourth-floor window at a hotel in Atlanta and would be charged with drug possession that evening.

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Just this summer, he was arrested twice within a week for traffic related issues. Once, he was driving 75 miles per hour in a 45 zone and driving on a suspended license, and the other time, police found a “white powdery substance” in the center console.

It seems like showing up out of shape was simply a last straw for Nkemdiche. Now, he’ll be out looking for work as training camps begin around the country.