Tyrann Mathieu tackles in practice with mixed results, status for Week 1 still uncertain

The Arizona Cardinals will get safety Tyrann Mathieu back on the field for a game soon. Maybe it will be Week 1 on Monday Night Football, but that is looking more and more like maybe not, despite previous optimism.

Head coach Bruce Arians said previously that Mathieu would have to tackle in practice before he is put into a game situation. The results were not great, but not damning.

"He tackles about four or five times, missed three and tackled about three or four more," said Arians after practice. "So it's new to him again."

Mathieu himself talked about getting more reps.

The general vibe says he is probably not going to play on Sunday. No one is saying anything, but if he wasn't super comfortable tackling in the one padded practice, it seems unlikely he would suit up on Monday night.

No return for the season opener is definitely not unexpected. For a while it was believed the timetable for Mathieu was to get back after the bye week and play in Week 5. That would have him only missing three games, which is still an amazing recovery.