Arizona Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu begins running

Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

For the second time in his career, the Honey Badger works his way back from a terrible injury

Last season many Arizona Cardinals fans had a feeling of deja vu when they saw Tyrann Mathieu fall to the ground without being hit. We saw it the year before with Carson Palmer, we saw it two years ago with this very same player, a horrific knee injury in a seemingly innocuous play that ended a great player’s great season.

Mathieu was on track to be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year in the way that he played that season, and the Cardinals were on a tear to the NFC’s number 1 seed until Palmer went down.

It’s hard to talk about what happened, but its always nice to talk about what’s happened since. Tyrann Mathieu, via ABC15 in Phoenix, retweeted a video of himself running on a treadmill with a weight reduction apparatus which takes 40 lbs off of a person as they start to recovery from the injury.

The Honey Badger recovered in record time from his original injury in his rookie campaign and looks to beat that mark this year and be ready for training camp. Only the team’s doctors and medical staff can know for sure if he’ll be ready to go, but all indications are that the Badger will be lurking in the middle of the field come 2016.

This is especially good for Cardinals fans who are going to see a shakeup in the defensive backfield over the coming weeks with Tony Jefferson being given a low tender offer, Rashad Johnson and Jerraud Powers both becoming unrestricted free agents next week. It is likely the team will try to extend all three of these players, as well as Mathieu to long term deals, but time will tell on what the team can do with the salary cap number they have (right now, about $20m).

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