Will Tyrann Mathieu play in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns?

The Kansas City Chiefs could be without Tyrann Mathieu, one of their defensive stars, heading into a crucial Week 1 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. This would be a significant blow to their secondary, who will have the difficult task of trying to neutralize Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jarvis Landry.

Tyrann Mathieu joined the long list of vaccinated players who tested positive for COVID-19. The league has protocols set in place to ensure that no games will be canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Since Mathieu has tested positive, he cannot rejoin his team until ten days after the positive test result. He will need to test negative twice within 24 hours to be able to return to practice.

Can Tyrann Mathieu make the 4 PM EST deadline on Saturday?

The Chiefs will hope Mathieu can squeeze in two negative tests when the activation deadline rolls around on Saturday. Mathieu could very well be left at home watching the game.

The #Chiefs say Tyrann Mathieu’s status remains up in the air for Sunday against the #Browns, and that’s not a shock. Even for vaccinated individuals, return to play is a little more complicated than two negative tests. Deadline to activate him is 4 p.m. Saturday. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/Ndx9SeZriH
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 9, 2021

Certain players have been allowed to rejoin their teams sooner than the 10-day mark. Those instances come with a couple of caveats. The player must be asymptomatic.

Mathieu missing from the lineup would be a massive blow for the Chiefs. The Browns are stacked on offense and not having one of the best safeties in the league would hurt any team.

#Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo says the team has a plan A and plan B when it comes to the status of Tyrann Mathieu (COVID-19 list).

The Chiefs still don’t know at the moment.
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) September 9, 2021

The Chiefs are thin at safety. Armani Watts would have to step up into a more prominent role. Daniel Sorenson and Juan Thornhill are the other safeties that might be put to the test against the Browns' offense. Either way, the Chiefs seem to be very thin at safety.

Mathieu will not technically be cleared until Sunday morning. The Chiefs can take a "what if" approach by activating Mathieu in hopes that he is given the green signal on Sunday morning.

This comes with a bit of a problem. If Mathieu is activated off the COVID/reserve list but is not cleared by medical staff, the Chiefs will be without a player who can be called up as a replacement.

As things stand, it seems unlikely that Tyrann Mathieu will play on Sunday.