Eric Berry returned to Kansas City. (Getty)
The last year and a half have been rough for Kansas City Chiefs star safety Eric Berry. After going down with a heel injury during week one of last season, Berry has yet to take the field for any games, or even practice. As surprising as it sounds, Berry may practice for the first time this season, as we wrap up Week 12 after Monday’ game next week.
The Chiefs haven’t been very informative with Berry’s injury this season. Week after week, they threw out the word of a potential return coming soon, but the team wouldn’t put an official timeframe on his return. Finally, we could see some positive progress though.
According to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, Berry is expected to return to practice next week to prepare for Week 13’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders. Don’t count on him getting back onto the game field right away just yet though, the Chiefs are still taking baby steps. While Berry will more than likely practice, he will still be doubtful for the Week 13 matchup.
When Will Berry Return?
Still, the Chiefs won’t say when Berry will return to game action, but they are pretty much sure that it won’t be next week. Right now, the Chiefs are in a win-win situation with Berry. As they are in first place, they don’t need Berry to return in order to stay at the top of the AFC, since they are still a dominant team without him.
However, when the Chiefs do get Berry back, it fills a much-needed hole in their game on defense. Even though the Chiefs are one of the NFL’s best teams, they still have a weakness, and apparently, Berry will be the answer to their problems in the secondary.
Now, the Chiefs look like geniuses for holding him out for all of this time, rather than rushing him back. So, don’t expect to see Berry playing next week, but know that he will surely be a part of the late-season stretch, and will lead the secondary for the Chiefs playoff run that will be clinched any week now at this point.