TEMPE, Ariz. -- Despite recovering quickly from a shoulder subluxation, there’s still no guarantee Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu will play Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings.
“My shoulder feels fine,” Mathieu said. “It’s stable for the moment, so I’ll continue to put it at work during practice and see where I’m at the end of the week.”
Mathieu returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering the partial separation and looked like himself, coach Bruce Arians said. But watching Mathieu make plays in practice is just one way to determine his readiness for Sunday’s game.
Since the Cardinals can’t hit in practice, Arians relies on the training staff to determine if Mathieu’s strength is at a suitable level to return to the field.
“All the conditioning tests that they do with the machines in the weight room and the training room,” Arians said. “They’re not going to put him out there if he’s one armed.”
Mathieu was limited Wednesday and was one of 12 Cardinals to show up on the team's injury report. Two, quarterback Carson Palmer (veteran's day off) and outside linebacker Chandler Jones (family reasons), did not practice for non-injury reasons. Safety Deone Bucannon (ankle), wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (knee/ankle), linebacker Alex Okafor (knee/calf) and defensive tackle Corey Peters (foot) did not practice. Linebacker Joplo Bartu (hamstring), linebacker Gabe Martin (hamstring) and cornerback Tharold Simon (ankle) were limited. Cornerback Justin Bethel (foot/wrist) and cornerback Brandon Williams (finger) were both full.
Mathieu has tried to be optimistic about returning this week. “If I’m 100 percent or close to it, I’ll play Sunday. If not, I’ll hold back,” Mathieu said. “I’m optimistic I will play. I try to look at the bright side with everything.”
That doesn’t mean frustration doesn’t overtake "The Honey Badger" once in a while, especially since he’s been trying to return to form this year following ACL surgery in December.
“Life’s frustrating sometimes,” Mathieu said. “Just got to deal with it. Can’t get too high or too low. It’s just another challenge for me. I embrace all those challenges.”
