Dolphins sign Nkemdiche

The Miami Dolphins signed defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche on Thursday, hoping the nation’s former No. 1 high school recruit and firstround pick can resurrect his NFL career following major knee surgery last year and an arrest earlier this summer.

Nkemdiche (pronounced kim-DEE-chee), who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in December, will begin his stint with the Dolphins on the team’s active/physically unableto-perform list. He reportedly is expected to return to action in September, but the Dolphins could have other plans for his rehabilitation process now that he is under contract.

Nkemdiche’s signing is another indication of Miami’s aspirations to make low-risk roster moves in hopes of uncovering high rewards during their extensive rebuilding process.

Nkemdiche, widely considered the nation’s top high school player in 2013, played three seasons at Ole Miss and was the 29th pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

However, Nkemdiche has been unable to live up to the hype and stay out of trouble during his NFL career.

Nkemdiche was released by the Cardinals on July 27, the same day new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said Nkemdiche was “not in shape” when reporting to training camp last month.

He remained on the team despite a June 6 arrest, following a traffic stop for speeding and driving with a suspended license. He was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for driving with a suspended license, according to a report by the Arizona Republic.

During the traffic stop, police found a small, metal credit card case that had a white powdery substance. The case was considered drug paraphernalia and the substance had the appearance of cocaine. Nkemdiche said the substance was a “bathroom product.” Due to his cooperation, the credit card case was not tested and was seized and destroyed, according to the report.

With the Dolphins, Nkemdiche will reunite with new quarterback Josh Rosen, who spent last season with the Cardinals, and standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil, a former college teammate who was Miami’s first-round pick in 2016.

If Nkemdiche can return to form, he could compete for significant playing time on the Dolphins defensive line, which is in need of a dominant pass rusher.

Despite the knee injury, Nkemdiche is coming off his best NFL season where he started 6 of 10 games, had 4.5 sacks, 32 tackles and nine tackles for loss with a forced fumble and pass deflection.

Nkemdiche could come off the Dolphins’ PUP list at any time during the preseason, but the team must placed him on injured reserve, waive him or put him on the 53-man regularseason roster by Aug. 31.

Honorary captain: Kendrick Norton served as the Dolphins’ honorary captain during the coin toss for the team’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday night.

With Norton’s help, the Dolphins won the coin toss.

Norton — whose left arm was amputated and football career ended following a two-car accident on July 4 — has remained a fixture around the Dolphins organization in recent weeks.

Norton attended a Dolphins practice earlier this week, uplifting the sprits of his teammates simply by his presence. …

The Dolphins chose to rest six starting players during the preseason opener. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was a healthy scratch for the game, while starting cornerback Xaiven Howard played just one defensive series.

Safety Reshad Jones, linebackers Kiko Alonso and Raekwon McMillan, and wide receivers Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson are also held out while continuing to recover from injuries.