Chiefs rumors: Eric Berry expected to remain with Kansas City

NFL columnist Peter King believes that Andy Reid and the Chiefs will keep Eric Berry on the roster this offseason and let him try to return.

This offseason is all about shedding high-dollar contracts for the Kansas City Chiefs defense, at least so far. Justin Houston has already been released despite proving he’s still an effective pass rusher, and even Dee Ford, who just put up one of the best overall seasons for a defender in 2018, is on the trade block.

According to NFL columnist Peter King, Eric Berry is not expected to join the rest on the way out of Kansas City. In fact, despite the fact that Berry is the highest paid safety in the game and the fact that he’s only played in bit parts of the last two seasons, King expects Andy Reid and company to give Berry another chance to come back and show what he can do. King writes:

"I expect Andy Reid to keep him. Reid believes in Berry’s leadership and thinks he can still be an impact safety. Also important: Berry would be a $14.95-million dead-cap weight on the Chiefs if cut."

Berry missed the majority of last season with a bone spur, yet was listed day to day by the coaching staff on a weekly basis. It was frustrating for a fan base to never know the severity of Berry’s injury and to hear that he might be playing with each and every game only to never see him suit up. When he was finally able to come back, he hardly resembled the same player the Chiefs are used to seeing at safety.

The previous season, in 2017, Berry once again sat out the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.

At this point, the Chiefs have gotten next to nothing from Berry since signing him to a contract that made him the highest paid safety in the game. And what makes the timing even worse for the Chiefs is that the safety market has since deflated to the point where starting caliber players are left waiting to play for pennies on the dollar.

Berry, 30, has only 18 total tackles over the last two seasons but is a five-time Pro Bowler who, when healthy, is an elite performer at safety. The Chiefs are now hoping a full offseason of further rest will allow him to get back to that point.