Eric Berry sat out the 2019 season, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll have too much difficulty getting back into the NFL. We heard back in January that Berry was looking to get back on the field in 2020, and the three-time First-Team All-Pro is already starting to garner interest.
The Colts are interested in adding Berry to their roster, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. They aren’t the only ones who will pursue the veteran safety, as sources told Holder that Indy will have competition and that they’ll have to beat out other suitors. Berry was drafted fifth overall by the Chiefs back in 2010 and became an instant star, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Unfortunately, he’s had to deal with a lot of adversity in his career.
Berry was diagnosed with cancer toward the end of the 2014 season and incredibly battled his way back on to the field to play in 2015, winning the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and earning his second All-Pro selection. He was once again an All-Pro in 2016, but a brutal injury derailed his career soon after.
Berry tore his Achilles in the first game of the 2017 season, and due to complications from that injury including a Haglund’s deformity, he wasn’t able to return until Week 15 of 2018. He appeared in the Chiefs’ playoff game that year but was released the following offseason and spent all of last year out of football.
One thing working in Indianapolis’ favor, as Holder notes, is that Berry is “very close friends” with current Colts defensive end and former Chiefs teammate Justin Houston. Colts GM Chris Ballard was also an executive in Kansas City from 2013 to '16. A few teams were apparently interested in the Tennessee product last year, but Berry intentionally took the season off to make sure he was fully healthy. Hopefully we get to see him make an impact in 2020, with the Colts or any team.
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