Stashed away on Arizona's preseason physically unable to perform list, safety Tyrann Mathieu hopes his return to the field is just around the corner.
"I expect to be at practice (in) the next two to three weeks," Mathieu said Wednesday, per Darren Urban of the team's official website. "Hopefully we can stick to that timetable."
Eight months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL, Mathieu was touted by Cardinals assistant trainer Chad Cook in July as "real close to getting back to football."
Coach Bruce Arians has taken a more conservative approach, telling reporters all along that he doesn't expect Mathieu to play until Arizona's Week 5 tilt with the Broncos.
"I shared it with him," Mathieu said of his revised timetable. "I don't think he takes me too seriously."
The playmaking safety, though, acknowledged that he doesn't want to take the field "if I'm not the guy I was last year."
The Cardinals feel no need to rush Honey Badger back, but his eventual return will do wonders for a defense that already houses a stellar combination of cornerbacks in Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie behind the team's gaggle of safeties.
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