Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry remains unemployed as a free agent on the verge of the regular season kickoff.
There was a moment this afternoon that I had to stop and reflect for just a minute on the sad way this story seems to be ending. With the realization that Thursday represents the opening of the 2019 regular season, it simultaneously occurred to me that Eric Berry is, as of this moment, still unemployed.
The longtime Kansas City Chiefs safety is among the best available free agents for teams looking to still a bit of a punch to the secondary. Rumored interest from America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, surfaced this offseason, but Berry remains out there for any one of 31 NFL teams to bring him in for a workout and/or sign him off the street.
At this point, if this represents the ending of this story, it’s a frustrating final chapter. After watching Andrew Luck leave on his terms, it’s easy to wish Berry could have done the same. He was a fiery leader, a selfless citizen, a dominant defender, an ideal role model.
Berry’s courage under fire was the most inspiring subject I’ve ever seen in my decade of sportswriting, yet he wasn’t simply a feel-good story. Even after returning victorious over cancer, Berry was once again a god among men on the field. In a sport where elite athleticism is required to even play, Berry was a monster of a defender—a man seemingly bound for Canton even during his rookie campaign.
For the Chiefs themselves, they’ve turned the corner months ago after waiting (and waiting) on a “day-to-day” star defender to heal properly. They’ve signed a new leader in Tyrann Mathieu and drafted his running mate in Juan Thornhill. Now Berry must hope that another franchise will take a chance on an aging defender who must prove once again his ability to return to form.
There are two points of hope coming up for Berry. First of all, many NFL veterans will be waiting until after Week 1 is in the books. At that point, vesting veterans (4 years or more experience) can be signed without expecting their full season’s worth of pay to be guaranteed. Many teams will wait for a week to sign a veteran to their team they are not sure will play all year long. Certainly Berry comes with such questions.
There’s also the possibility that a player like Berry needs more time to heal from ankle/foot concerns that have plagued him for the last two years. In that case, Berry could sign late in the season as a pre-postseason addition for a contending team. The NFL season in long and it’s impossible to tell at this point who might be in need of safety help down the stretch.
For now, however, it’s sad and a bit startling to see an NFL season kicking off without Berry entirely. He’s not on any roster and he’s also not injured. He’s just freely available like any other free agent. For the sake of his story, here’s hoping Berry can remind the NFL who he is and what he can do—just one more time.