Derrick Johnson: “We will see Eric Berry pretty soon”
By Matt Conner
Derrick Johnson believes we will be seeing Eric Berry sooner than later knowing the work ethic and talent of his teammate.
Derrick Johnson knows a thing or two about what it takes to recover from an Achilles injury. Just last week, the Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker played his first regular season game after being forced to miss the end of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, the second such injury of his career.
Johnson saw his teammate and friend Eric Berry go down with the same sort of injury last Thursday against the New England Patriots and knew instantly what it would require of him to return to form. Berry went down on a non-contact play in the fourth quarter and was eventually carted off of the field. An MRI confirmed the worst: a ruptured Achilles tendon and a spot on injured reserve for the Chiefs.
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While there’s no way, given the rules of the roster in the NFL, that we will see Eric Berry play again in 2017, Johnson believes that we will see him back in practice earlier than expected. When speaking with the media on Thursday, Johnson gave reporters an idea of what Berry is facing at this point in his rehabilitation.
"I’ll tell you what, we will see Eric Berry pretty soon. Nothing is going on much after the surgery. The first two months is just letting the Achilles heal, letting it mend back together. It is just kind of boring. You just have to let it heal. It is a patience deal early on. I know he will struggle with that, because he wants to get going. But after a couple months, he can start training."
The Chiefs are expected to employ a committee of sorts to handle everything Eric Berry covered in the secondary. Ron Parker is versatile enough to swap slots all over the pass defense depending on need. Daniel Sorensen has been with the team for years and knows what is required. Eric Murray is a former fourth round pick who has never really had a chance to show what he can do on the field, outside of special teams.