Why the Chiefs should avoid the franchise tag with Eric Berry this time

The Kansas City Chiefs should make every effort to retain All-Pro safety Eric Berry; however, doing so with the franchise tag would be a mistake. 

The retention of homegrown talent is a prerequisite for building a viable contender in the NFL. It’s tough to backfill quality players at this level. Failure to do so can shrink the championship window of opportunity for teams on the cusp of contention. Players like Eric Berry make personnel management simple. Such athletes, who consistently perform at a high level, eliminate front office guesswork.

The only real consideration are contract numbers and how they’ll affect the team’s cap situation. Half of general manager John Dorsey’s work is already done. Berry’s worthy of a new contract, the Chiefs simply have to identify a salary that satisfies Berry’s demands and sustains the leverage necessary to extending/acquiring other key players.