Kansas City Chiefs: Where Would Eric Berry Be Without Injuries

The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best safeties in the NFL in Eric Berry. Where would he be if he hadn’t suffered injuries and cancer?

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting back arguably their best player this season as safety Eric Berry returns after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles in Week One of 2017. While the safety position is not usually a position that is worried so heavily on, losing Berry proved to be disastrous for the Chiefs defense last season.

During his time in the NFL, Berry has collected five Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro selections. He’s also missed some time during his career due to a torn ACL in 2011, being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, and a torn Achilles last season. Last year’s injury proved to throw off the entire defense.

When Berry was diagnosed with cancer, the Chiefs had versatile safeties that could help pick up the slack left over from the Pro Bowler. Safeties like Husain Abdullah and Tyvon Branch could move around the defense and cover up the loss of Berry. In 2017, the Chiefs were without that luxury.

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Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton tried to mask the weakness with other safeties like Daniel Sorensen and Eric Murray. He used Sorensen in Berry’s role of the defense for the first half of the season. Trying to use Sorensen in the box for run support as the hybrid linebacker and in coverage resulted in Sorensen being exposed to his weaknesses.

He also tried to use Murray as a player that could come up and play against opposing tight ends. The most memorable performance for this was against Oakland when Murray was tasked with covering tight end Jared Cook. Murray ended up getting torched on multiple occasions including the final drive that got the Raiders in the red zone.

Berry plays numerous roles all across the defense. Not having his playing abilities and leadership on the field resulted in collapse for the defense. Cornerback Marcus Peters was the star of the antics without any leadership to keep him in control. It was the worst defensive season for the Chiefs by far since Sutton, and head coach Andy Reid came to town.

Following the third day of training camp on Saturday, Berry spoke to reporters about the upcoming season. He talked about what the team is doing and how excited he is to be back with the team. Berry was also asked about his thoughts concerning his injuries and whether or not they kept him back.

"“Sometimes (I wonder), because I got hurt my second year,” Berry said. “I felt like I was in the best shape of my life and I was starting to learn that defense and becoming very acclimated to what was going on around me. So learning the defense and learning about NFL football, and then I had the injury and the cancer hit. I had that injury when I thought I was getting to my peak where I needed to be — same thing with last year. But I really can’t wonder where (I) would be. There’s no telling because I learned so much throughout all three processes. I just keep growing, and I can’t really tell you where I would be without them.”"

Missing that time due to injuries and his cancer diagnosis, the question of whether he felt cheated was brought up. Berry was very positive about his experiences especially when he went through cancer treatments.

"“Not at all,” Berry said. “Not at all, because I learned so much. The whole cancer deal was actually a privilege, to be honest with you. It was a blessing at the same time because I learned so much. I helped so many people and so many people helped me as well. They inspired me just being able to connect with them through that common thread of having cancer and being able to overcome it. So, I can’t really tell you where I would be without those situations either.”"

Given the number of accomplishments that Berry has already made, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been if he wouldn’t have missed time throughout his career. Even without the time he missed due to injuries, there’s no question whether he is one of the best in the league at the position. There aren’t many safeties that can not only play to his high level but with the versatility that he brings.

Regarding the leadership, Berry has spent a lot of time with rookies on the defense including safety Armani Watts this offseason. Watts brings a lot of the same types of aggression and style of play as Berry’s. It will be fascinating to see how Sutton looks to utilize Watts in the defense and how often.