The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed back star safety Eric Berry for the first time this season in last Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Berry was able to play the entire first half without any setbacks that have him on pace for an increased role for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. This may be a game plan that the Chiefs will let unfold on the field as they will likely the Pro Bowler feel it out to determine how much playing time he can handle. (h/t Kirk Larrabee of 247 Sports)
“I think there might be some more flexibility in that,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said Thursday, “and I think we’ll have to monitor with long drives, ‘Does he need a break?’ I think everybody here has a real confidence in him being able to say ‘I’ve got to back this down here,’ and go like that. We haven’t really talked about exactly ‘Is he going to play 40 plays this week or is he going to play 50 plays?’ I think play it by ear a little bit.”
The Chiefs have laid out a plan to only go as much as Berry can handle, which was the case against the Chargers that limited him to just the first half of action. The team doesn't want to risk him suffering a setback because he pushed it further than he can handle on the field.
That said, Berry hasn't been limited in any fashion since then that could only speak to him about being able to play in an increased role this week against the Seahawks. The Chiefs are counting on him to be a huge piece of the puzzle over the last couple of weeks of the playoffs and in the playoffs.
Ultimately, this is a situation where the Kansas City will have to feel out once he takes the field on Sunday night.
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