Eric Berry, Steven Nelson among defensive backs sitting out Chiefs practice

KANSAS CITY, MP - JANUARY 15: Tight end Jesse James
KANSAS CITY, MP - JANUARY 15: Tight end Jesse James

The Kansas City Chiefs secondary has taken some hits as many of their best defensive remain injured and out of practice on Monday.

When healthy, the Kansas City Chiefs secondary is one of the best in the NFL. That also means that many of the team’s younger, developmental players often lack reps to show what they can do because impact starters stand in their way. That’s certainly not the case in practice these days, as many of the team’s defensive backs continue to nurse injuries that keep them out of training camp on Monday.

Safety Eric Berry, cornerback Steven Nelson and cornerback Terrance Mitchell sat out of practice on Monday as all three continue to deal with ongoing injuries. Berry is nursing a sore heel. Mitchell strained his hamstring and Nelson has a groin strain. All three are expected play pivotal roles in the pass defense, not only with the obvious impact of Berry at safety, but Mitchell and Nelson are the likely candidates to be No. 2 and 3 on the cornerback list under Marcus Peters once the season begins.

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They’re not the only members of the secondary who are hurting, by the way. Ashton Lampkin has been a nice surprise as a rookie free agent out of Oklahoma State. He’s outlasted his former teammate and friend Jordan Sterns and has shown himself to be a nice prospect who can also thrive on special teams. Unfortunately Lampkin left practice today with an injury reported as a sore knee and Achilles.

Linebacker Derrick Johnson and kicker Cairo Santos also did not practice on Monday, but Johnson’s was a scheduled day off as a veteran player. Santos continues to rehab from a groin injury that kept him out of the team’s preseason opener.

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