What Tyrann Mathieu’s reserve/COVID placement means for KC Chiefs

On Wednesday afternoon, the NFL’s transaction wire of daily activities held a surprise for Chiefs Kingdom. While fans knew some sort of reserve placement was coming due to the reported re-signing of Marcus Kemp to the active roster, no one realized it would be safety Tyrann Mathieu who was going to be the player affected.

Mathieu was officially placed on the Chiefs reserve/COVID list on Wednesday, and reports later surfaced saying he had indeed tested positive. Just like that, the team’s secondary went into a bit of flux given the uncertainty of things.

It’s easy to hear about a COVID diagnosis at this point and wonder what it means. NFL protocols have changed a lot in the last year or more in the wake of the global pandemic, and even measures from last year to this year have shifted as well. It can be hard to tell what to expect in the wake of news like this for the Chiefs.

In order to provide some clarity, let’s take a look at what we know and don’t know about Mathieu’s situation.

Was Tyreek vaccinated?

Yes, after reports earlier this offseason stated that Mathieu was going to get the vaccine, FanSided’s Matt Verderame noted that he was actually vaccinated earlier this year which helps in a number of ways.

What has to happen for him to come back?

Per the NFL COVID-19 protocols for this season, a player must have consecutive days of negative results from both PCR and Mesa tests taken 24 hours apart and be asymptomatic. Per the NFL’s schedule, it usually means a return to the team’s facilities after missing two complete days (e.g. if Mathieu was sent home on Wednesday, then Saturday would be the earliest to expect him back).

If Mathieu shows symptoms of any kind, even minor ones, then he must return after having the same two negative tests and being asymptomatic for 48 hours, which would likely mean a longer stint away from the Chiefs.

What if Mathieu hadn’t been vaccinated?

If Mathieu hadn’t gotten around to getting the vaccine or had changed his mind and decided to go with the flow, the Chiefs would have been rolling the dice for sure on Mathieu’s availability, since any player with a positive test who is not fully vaccinated must quarantine from any and all team facilities for a full 10 days.

Given the Wednesday placement on the COVID/reserve list, the earliest that Mathieu could have been allowed back would have been on the Saturday/Sunday of opening weekend, depending on when everything happened inside Arrowhead Stadium in the first place.

So the Chiefs are likely good then?

Yes, if the bottom line is whether or not Mathieu will be able to play, unless COVID somehow takes hold in the Chiefs’ star safety in an odd way, there’s plenty of time for him here for him to get well and take the requisite tests in order to return to practice and the team.

What about a worst-case scenario here?

The worst-case scenario would be a bit scary for Mathieu as a person given that any far-reaching effects of COVID can be unnerving. On the field, for Mathieu as a player, the Chiefs would head into the new season against the Browns without their leader in the secondary. Dan Sorensen and Juan Thornhill would be tasked with a lot more while Steve Spagnuolo would be without his chess piece in the heart of it all. Against a team with so many offensive weapons like the Browns, that’s not where a team wants to be at all.