Kansas City Chiefs Player Profile: Eric Berry

Training camp is officially underway, which means it’s almost time for football my friends! KC Kingdom wants to get you ready for the regular season by providing player profiles until the very first kick off. Today’s featured player is safety Eric Berry.

How did Eric Berry become a Kansas City Chief?

Eric Berry was a fantastic safety during his three years at Tennessee, and the Chiefs knew he would fit in well in Kansas City. The team selected him fifth overall in 2010 and fans were stoked to see this kid dominate in the secondary.

He had a standout rookie season that led to him making the Pro Bowl. Berry was on pace to be the biggest name for the Chiefs, but sadly his 2011 season was cut short, as he went on the injured reserve after the opening game that year.

Berry came back swinging though in 2012 and 2013 and has continued to be one of the most reliable guys that Kansas City has on their squad.

2013 stats

Berry was tremendous in 2013, as always. He recorded 73 tackles, 10 defended passes, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. Berry took two of those interceptions the other way for touchdowns. He was elected to his third Pro Bowl as well, which shows that fans all throughout the nation appreciate Berry and how good he is.

He was also rated as the 50th best player in the annual Top 100 Players countdown presented by NFL Network.

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Berry honestly was the only consistently good player in the secondary in 2013 (well in the back half of the year). When rumors started to circulate about him maybe being traded, I panicked a bit. The Chiefs would have been foolish to trade him, as he’s a star player and a fan favorite here in KC.

Overall

Unless an injury occurs (and let’s hope that doesn’t happen or else I might cry), I don’t think Chiefs fans have anything to worry about concerning Eric Berry. He’s a top notch player here and always makes big plays for the Chiefs.

He was also named the second most dynamic safety in the league by Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, who had this to say about the talented safety,

"“The former No. 5 overall pick has made three Pro Bowls in his four NFL seasons. (Berry essentially missed the entire 2011 campaign after tearing his ACL in the opener.) He has blossomed into a hybrid safety with the skills to cover tight ends and receivers in space, as well as the ability to be a difference maker against the run as an extra defender around the box. In addition, Berry is a disruptive pass rusher with a great feel for slipping through cracks to get home on blitzes. He finished with 3.5 sacks in 2013 and provided a number of splash plays.”"

Well said Bucky, well said.

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