Eric Berrys Week 1 Still In Question As He Still Recovers From Injury

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

If the Kansas City Chiefs are to capture their third consecutive AFC West division title, they'll need Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry at full health.

But the Chiefs may have to prepare to start their season without Berry, who went down in Week 1 of 2017 with a torn Achilles. Per Soren Petro of Sports Radio 810 WHB, Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Berry is day-to-day, leaving his status for Week 1 in question.

The five-time Pro Bowler is among the few starters on defense that the Chiefs are bringing back from last year, and the team certainly needs him for their Week 1 road contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Veterans Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson were let go, and star cornerback Marcus Peters was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Berry and Justin Houston are among the few standout players on a Chiefs defense that was miserable in 2017, and struggled aplenty during preseason.

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Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma four years ago, and he recovered fully and was able to return for the 2015 season. There should be no doubting his ability to bounce back from a ruptured Achilles injury, especially given that he's had a year to recover from it.

The Chiefs defense struggled without Berry in 2017, ranking 29th in yards allowed per game (365.1), 29th against the pass (247 passing yards allowed per game), and 15th in scoring defense (21.2 points allowed per contest).

That being said, Kansas City did acquire cornerback Kendall Fuller from the Washington Redskins in the Alex Smith trade. Fuller earned a 90.6 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2017, so he should be a fine replacement for Peters.

If Berry, Houston and Fuller all stay healthy, the Chiefs defense could return to being a top-10 unit. Otherwise, Patrick Mahomes and the offense will have to do most of the work in 2018.

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