Getty Images Eric Berry is not ready to play just yet.
Kansas City Chiefs veteran safety Eric Berry hasn’t had the easiest path in the NFL for the last couple of years. After playing two full seasons back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, Berry has only managed to play one game in over a year. As we are just about halfway through the 2018 season, Chiefs fans are hopeful for the return of one of their defensive leaders. The only problem is, it feels like it’s never going to happen.
Each week since the 2018 season started, the Chiefs have been evaluating a potential return for the nine-year veteran. Now that he is beginning to make a little bit of progress, the team is optimistic that he could return very soon. With the Chiefs having a near-flawless record on the season, the addition of Berry could be what they really need to take them over the top.
Unfortunately, Eric Berry will not see the field this Sunday as there was a little bit of hope for his return. All throughout the week, Chiefs fans were hoping that he would at least get a practice in, but as of Friday, Berry is still not back to practice.
When Will He Be Back?
The optimism for Berry is excellent, but his injury updates are really lacking positive results. Just a couple of weeks ago, Berry and the Chiefs mentioned that they were extremely confident that he will, in fact, play this season. But nobody has any clue as to when he will be able to take the field. And even then, he will have to get back into shape before he can really shift gears and be one-hundred percent on the playing field.
As the season progresses, it’s getting difficult to believe that Berry will have any sort of impact for the Chiefs again this year. With the trade deadline approaching for next week, many major news outlets suggest that the Chiefs could be in the market for a safety.
In fact, they were the top contenders to acquire Seattle Seahawks’ safety Earl Thomas before his major injury. That should tell you all you need to know about their confidence in Berry’s return. The Chiefs are clearly in win-now mode, and they may need to make a move sooner than later. However, if they do not dive into some trade action, that could indicate confidence in Berry’s rehab. But as of right now, the situation is nothing to be overly positive about.