Nordly “Cap” Capi seemingly did more than enough to show the Arizona Cardinals that he belonged, but was released nevertheless
The Arizona Cardinals must not have seen enough. Granted, the outside linebacker making play after play throughout the preseason wasn’t supposed to make the team. And in the end, he didn’t.
Nordly “Cap” Capi was released this past weekend in a somewhat surprising move by the Cardinals’ front office. The former undrafted free agent of the Jacksonville Jaguars certainly looked as if he had done enough to earn a spot on Arizona’s final roster. Capi was among the club’s leaders in a couple of categories this summer, registering 13 tackles (11 solo) and one and a half sacks during the exhibition contests.
What made the 6’3″, 249 pounder’s release even more perplexing is that it left the Cards with only three outside linebackers. Those three consist of the two starters, Chandler Jones and Markus Golden, plus fourth-year player Kareem Martin. In comparison, management decided to hang on to five inside linebackers instead of the usual four.
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The fact that the squad chose to keep newcomer Philip Wheeler over Capi was a bit of a head-scratcher. Based strictly on the preseason game performances of both defenders, it’s possible that the Cardinals’ evaluators made a mistake. Of course, the daily training camp practices also factor into that evaluation, so maybe that is an area in which Wheeler shined.
Capi not being added to Arizona’s practice squad was also kind of surprising. It’s too late for that now, since the New York Giants added the 25-year old to THEIR practice squad on Monday. It could turn out to be a case of another man’s trash being another man’s treasure.
For whatever the reason, the Cards have moved on and there’s nothing that the fans of the man with the unique name can do about it. Witnessing Capi’s unbridled energy and enthusiasm during live action has been a pleasure. It’s too bad that he’ll now be bringing those qualities to another NFL franchise.