Chiefs All-Pro safety Eric Berry practices with team for the first time all season
The Kansas City Chiefs might get one of their best players back in December. After sitting out the entire season with an injury, safety Eric Berry practiced with the team for the first time all year Wednesday.
Berry showed up to team facilities Tuesday with the intent he would practice prior to the team’s Week 13 game against the Oakland Raiders, according to Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports. He was labeled as a limited participant in practice Wednesday.
If you need a full minute or more of HD video of Eric Berry on the practice field to realize he's back…
Here you go: @KCTV5 pic.twitter.com/aSybY51y6f— Dani Welniak (@KCTVDani) November 28, 2018
The 29-year-old Berry has been sidelined with Haglund’s deformity, which means he has a bone spur that digs into his Achilles tendon.
Eric Berry’s injury update. He has a bone spur that digs into the Achilles’ tendon. pic.twitter.com/Mw9i2RDKNV
— Shelly S (@KcChiefs1972_) September 29, 2018
While it’s no certainty Berry will return for Week 13, getting him back would provide a significant boost to the Chiefs. The team has been pretty good without him, going 9-2, but much of the Chiefs success has been due to the best offense in football.
Defensively, the team hasn’t been great. The Chiefs rank 25 in total defense — 13th against the pass and 32nd against the run — according to Football Outsiders’ metrics. Berry may not singlehandedly solve all of those issues, but he will help if healthy.
Berry has dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career. He tore his ACL in 2011, missed 10 games with a high-ankle sprain in 2014 and ruptured his Achilles in 2017. Berry also missed missed time in 2014 while dealing with lymphoma. He was able to return in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl.
Berry’s return to the Chiefs is a tremendous feel-good story, but it has a chance to be even more than that. If fully healthy, Berry will give an already dominant Chiefs team yet another fearsome weapon as the team preps for what could be a long playoff run.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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