Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was a bust long before the Cardinals released him Saturday evening.

From the time he was drafted 29th overall in 2016, Nkemdiche displayed consistent indifference to becoming a productive player.

Former coach Bruce Arians was critical of Nkemdiche’s work ethic in his first few weeks with the team, and Nkemdiche never changed in subsequent years.

With Nkemdiche gone, only three of General Manager Steve Keim’s seven first-round picks remain with the team. That includes quarterback Kyler Murray, this year’s first overall pick, and tackle D.J. Humphries and linebacker Haason Reddick.

Humphries and Reddick have yet to prove themselves as reliable starters. Murray obviously hasn’t had that chance yet.

Nkemdiche suffered a torn ACL last December, and the team was hopeful he might be able to contribute sometime this season.

But he was arrested twice this offseason and showed up to training camp overweight. That exhausted the last bit of patience the Cardinals had with Nkemdiche. He was due a $400,000 roster bonus on the fifth day of training camp, but the decision to cut him had more to do with Nkemdiche’s attitude than money.

When Nkemdiche is healthy, another team likely will take a chance on him in the hopes that he has matured and realized the opportunity he squandered.

But if he hasn’t had that revelation by now, it’s not likely to happen.

Nkemdiche’s legacy will be that he was the antithesis of what Keim has always said he wanted in players: a passion for the game.

It sounds good when Keim says it. It’s even better when he puts it into practice.