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Eric Berry

Extra Points: Chiefs, Lynn, Draft, Crawford

January 26th, 2017 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andy Reid plans to use Tyreek Hill more next season. After the rookie began the year as mostly a special teams-only presence, he became featured as a frequent part of the Chiefs‘ offense, and Reid wants to increase his involvement.

“He was averaging 35 plays a game [in 2016],” Reid said on a SiriusXM NFL Radio appearance (via Alex Marvez of the Sporting News). “Maybe he can double that or at least take it up a couple notches and allow him to get in more in a starting role. … I’d expect him to learn that whole [playbook] by the end of all the OTAs and training camp and then be even more of a threat.”

Hill scored 12 touchdowns and became a unanimous All-Pro selection as a return man. The polarizing speedster emerged as Chiefs’ best No. 2 receiver candidate in years by catching 61 passes for 593 yards. Hill becoming a bigger part of the Chiefs’ offense lessens their need for pass-catching help. During previous Reid years, the team relied on a committee approach to fill that role.

Here’s more from the Chiefs and the rest of the league.

  • Reid addressed Eric Berry‘s status as well, wanting the Chiefs to retain the decorated UFA safety. “We love E.B. I think everybody in our building would ditto that,” Reid said. “If we can get this thing done, that’s obviously a priority in the offseason. It’s been a good marriage.” It would cost the Chiefs nearly $13MM to apply the franchise tag to Berry again, but Tyrann Mathieu‘s $12MM-AAV+ deal raised the bar for safeties since the Chiefs’ last negotiations with Chiefs management. Berry acknowledged earlier this week he believed his agent has spoken with the Chiefs about a deal. Kansas City is projected to possess $4.6MM in cap room but can create over $16MM more by releasing Jamaal Charles and Nick Foles.
  • Prior to the Chargers entering the race, Anthony Lynn saw the Bills as the best opportunity for him. The newest Los Angeles HC was connected to every team in need of a coach, save for the 49ers. “To me, [Buffalo] was the best place for me to be because I knew the personnel, I knew all the people I was working with and I think that was the quickest turnaround,” Lynn said, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Although, after the Chargers became interested, Lynn said he quickly pivoted to their situation. “They have a quarterback; they have key players at every position, at skill positions, and a young, talented defense, I thought that right there was a great opportunity,” he said. “And that’s where I put all my focus, was in that job after the season was over, and thank God it came through.”
  • Senior Bowl executive director and former Browns GM Phil Savage did not speak highly of this year’s quarterback class. “It’s probably not a good year to say, ‘We’ve got to have one,’ ” Savage said, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “You never know, but there’s questions with more guys this year.” Savage isn’t the first to cast doubt on the Deshaun Watson-, DeShone Kizer– and Mitch Trubisky-fronted class. Multiple execs expressed similar sentiments recently.
  • Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford underwent shoulder surgery for the second straight offseason, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Crawford faces an uncertain future as a starter, Hill writes. The veteran lineman, though, cannot be realistically cut this year. The Cowboys, who signed him to a five-year deal in 2015, would be saddled with $10.4MM in dead money.
  • Busy retooling their defensive staff, the Saints also interviewed Redskins assistant special teams coach Brad Banta for their special teams coach opening, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

January 26th, 2017 at 10:21am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs managed to keep star safety Eric Berry off the free agent market when they placed the franchise tag on him last offseason. Berry is once again unsigned as free agency approaches this winter, but the six-year Chief prefers to remain in Kansas City. “I hope so,” he informed Adam Teicher of ESPN.com on Wednesday. Berry’s also under the impression his representative and the team have opened contract talks, telling Teichner, “I think my agent had a conversation yesterday or something. It’s early.”

With defensive tackle Dontari Poe a strong candidate to end up with the franchise tag this offseason, the Chiefs might not have that as a fallback option to retain Berry in 2017. Not being able to tag Berry would perhaps hinder the Chiefs’ chances of keeping the 27-year-old, as the two sides never came close to reaching a long-term agreement last summer. Despite some displeasure with the fact that Kansas City tagged him last year, Berry went on to rack up his fifth Pro Bowl nod. In his second straight 16-game season, Berry amassed 77 tackles and a career-high-tying four interceptions.

More from the AFC:

  • The groin surgery Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor underwent earlier this month won’t play a role in whether the team will exercise or decline his option by the March 11 deadline, general manager Doug Whaley stated Wednesday. “Let me say this, all the prognostication is saying that it’s going to be something that will never play into it,” Whaley told reporters, including Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. If Taylor isn’t able to pass a physical by the aforementioned date, the Bills would be stuck with the $27.5MM in guarantees left on his contract. While it appeared immediately after the season that the Bills would part with Taylor in the next couple months, their offensive coordinator hiring may have changed that.
  • Bobby Grier, a longtime member of the Texans’ front office, is leaving Houston to join the Dolphins as a scouting consultant, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. That means Grier will work with his son, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier. The elder Grier was instrumental in the Texans’ decision to draft three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt 11th overall in 2011 and was “the only NFL executive who did extensive work” on an unheralded Michigan quarterback named Tom Brady entering the 2000 draft, writes Kelly. Brady went in the sixth round that year to New England, and you know the rest.
  • Free agent quarterback Aaron Murray worked out for the Jets on Wednesday, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Murray spent 2016 on the Eagles’ practice squad, but he has been available since they elected against signing him to a reserve/futures deal earlier this month. The 26-year-old was a standout at Georgia, where he became the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns, but he hasn’t recorded an NFL statistic since KC took him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

PFR’s 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings

January 6th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The regular season is over and, for most teams, the offseason is underway. Here is the latest installment of our 2017 NFL Free Agent Power Rankings, which is comprised only of upcoming unrestricted free agents, and is ranked by projected guaranteed money. In parentheses next to each player, you’ll find their position in the November edition of the rankings. For more, check out our master list of all 2017 free agents.

2017 Free Agent Power Rankings With Text (vertical)

1. Kirk Cousins, QB (1): In 2015, Cousins established himself as a solid NFL quarterback. That summer, the Redskins told Cousins they wanted him to prove it all over again before giving him a monster contract. Cousins was happy to oblige and he has now increased his value even further. After a so-so start to 2016 season, Cousins closed out strong to finish as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 ranked QB, putting him ahead of notables such as Matthew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill, Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, and Philip Rivers. All of those players have gotten their big pay day and now it’s time for Cousins to join the club. "<strong

2. Chandler Jones, LB/DE (2): Before you start salivating over the idea of Jones joining your favorite team’s front seven, we have some bad news: Bruce Arians says the Cardinals will place the franchise tag on him if they cannot agree on a long-term deal. Whether it’s on a one-year, $16.955MM deal or a multi-year contract that tops Olivier Vernon‘s Giants deal, it sounds like Jones is staying put. Jones, 27 in May, played in all 16 games this year and racked up 11 sacks.

3. Kawann Short, DT (4): Contract talks between the Panthers and Short stalled last summer and Fletcher Cox‘s market-boosting deal with the Eagles didn’t help matters. Short wound up playing 2016 for peanuts ($1.473MM) and he turned in yet another stellar season. Short was the fourth-best interior defender in the league this season, per Pro Football Focus, and his 87.7 overall score was roughly the same as his 2015 mark, even though he had five less sacks. In June, it was said that the Panthers did not want to go too far beyond an average annual salary of $15MM. If he’s not franchised tagged or signed to a long-term deal by Carolina, there are a few teams that will happily go beyond that point.

Read more

Jason Fitzgerald On Gronk, Romo, Giants, Chiefs

December 3rd, 2016 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

Who will be the top unrestricted free agents this offseason? Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com throws out several names that may not be tagged by their current teams (via Twitter): Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short, Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

The cap guru answered a number of additional questions last night on Twitter. We collected some of the highlights, which you can find below…

  • Considering his $7MM cap hit and low salary in 2017, Fitzgerald can’t envision the Patriots trading tight end Rob Gronkowski. We learned earlier this week that the 27-year-old needs back surgery, which should keep him out for the rest of the regular season.
  • Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram could ask for Ryan Kerrigan-money during free agency, according to Fitzgerald. The Redskins linebacker inked a five-year, $57.5MM extension with the team back in 2015.
  • Fitzgerald imagines that Chiefs safety Eric Berry still wants to be among the highest-paid defenders in the league, but he notes that the 27-year-old hasn’t received the buzz that often accompanies top free agents. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald could see the Chiefs spending to retain defensive tackle Dontari Poe, but he’s uncertain about defensive end Jaye Howard‘s future in Kansas City.
  • Fitzgerald believes the Cowboys should take whatever they can get for quarterback Tony Romo, with the writer referring to the conditional fourth-round pick sent from the Jets to the Packers in the Brett Favre trade. However, even if the team does trade the veteran signal-caller, Fitzgerald says the team’s cap situation will likely prevent them from being major players in free agency.
  • The Giants signed defensive end Olivier Vernon to a five-year, $85MM deal back in March, and Fitzgerald believes teammate Jason Pierre-Paul is likely to make even more money when he reaches free agency this winter. Ultimately, Fitzgerald predicts that the organization will franchise their star defender.

Justin Houston Placed On PUP

August 30th, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs are down to the 75-man maximum after a handful of moves today (Twitter links via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star). The most noteworthy item is that linebacker Justin Houston has been placed on the PUP list, meaning that he will be out for at least the first six weeks of the season. Justin Houston

Houston underwent postseason arthroscopic surgery on his knee, at which point his ACL was found to be “intact but not functioning.” His recovery timetable was up in the air, but it was expected that he would miss at least a few games to start the season.

One of the league’s top outside linebackers, Houston inked a six-year, $101MM extension with the Chiefs roughly one year ago, but was hampered by injuries in the first season of his new deal. Houston still played very well in 2015, but totaled just 7.5 sacks in 11 games, a fraction of what he turned out in the year prior.

Meanwhile, running back Trey Millard has been waived/injured and will likely return to the team and go through the rehab process. The team also freed up a spot when they released wide receiver Mitch Mathews, as agent Brett Tessler tweets. Between those three moves and the roster exemption given to the team for Eric Berry, KC is at 75.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eric Berry Signs Franchise Tender

August 28th, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL’s final franchise tag player is now under officially under contract, as the Chiefs announced that safety Eric Berry has signed his franchise tender. Berry has now reported to the Kansas City facility.Eric Berry (vertical)

Berry, 27, will now earn a fully guaranteed $10.806MM base salary for the 2016 campaign, although he can’t negotiate a new deal with the Chiefs until next spring. Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, the veteran safety was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs.

Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties, and the standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.

Heading into the offseason, many viewed a long-term accord between Berry and the Chiefs as a foregone conclusion. However, the two sides did not see eye-to-eye on terms and the July 15th deadline did not spur action as expected. Now, Berry is slated to play out his one-year tender and he’s reportedly not thrilled about it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eric Berry Will Return To Chiefs On Sunday

August 26th, 2016 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs franchise safety Eric Berry plans to return to the team Sunday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Berry has yet to sign his $10.86MM franchise tender but it sounds like he will put pen to paper in a couple of days. Eric Berry (vertical)

[RELATED: Chiefs’ Tamba Hali Comes Off PUP List]

Heading into the offseason, many viewed a long-term accord between Berry and the Chiefs as a foregone conclusion. However, the two sides did not see eye-to-eye on terms and the July 15th deadline did not spur action as expected. Now, Berry is slated to play out his one-year tender and he’s not thrilled about it.

Earlier this month, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher told PFR that he does not believe the Chiefs will sign Berry to a long-term deal next offseason.

“It’s difficult to see that at this point. If the Chiefs weren’t willing to satisfy him with a long-term offer this year, why would they do it next year? Perhaps things will change in that regard this season but I don’t think they will,” Teicher said.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Breer’s Latest: Bengals, Berry, Bell, Brees, Jets

August 14th, 2016 at 2:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals lost their Wild Card contest against the Steelers in a devastating fashion, with late-game penalties by cornerback Adam Jones and linebacker Vontaze Burfict allowing Pittsburgh to kick a game-winning field goal. Instead of dwelling on the loss, head coach Marvin Lewis says Cincinnati has quickly moved on, as he tells Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “Last year ended, we covered that the first week of the offseason program,” said Lewis. “And there’s been no mention of how the season ended since then.” Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, meanwhile, has been pressing his players during practice sessions, telling them: “If you lose it here, you’re gonna lose it in a game.”

Let’s take a look at the other highlights from Breer’s Inside the NFL Notebook:

  • Eric Berry has yet to report to Chiefs camp and is set to miss most or all of the preseason as he expresses his displeasure with the franchise tag, and Breer talks to several evaluators about why Kansas City is reluctant to hand Berry a long-term extension. “I understand franchising him now and seeing if he gets back to the form he held before,” said one offensive coach. “I think he’s still a top-five safety in the league and the arrow could be pointing up.” Other decision-makers had different opinions. “I think, at this point, he’s solid, not spectacular,” said one AFC executive. For what it’s worth, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey recently expressed optimism that Berry will be present before Week 1.
  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is still facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but he looks healthy coming off a major knee injury, according to Breer, who adds that Bell still has a shot at to join Adrian Peterson as backs who earn more than $10MM annually. Peterson dominates the running back market at $14MM, while LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart, and Doug Martin all make between $7-8MM.
  • Though he’s now 37 years old and entering a contract year, Saints quarterback Drew Brees tells Breer that he sees no end in sight. “I don’t think about the end. I don’t,” said Brees. “I do have a great sense of urgency for each year, though, because I understand no matter what your contract says, you’re really on a year-to-year basis. That goes for everybody. You gotta prove it every year.” Brees is set to count a league-high $30MM against New Orleans’ cap before becoming a free agent next spring.
  • The Jets and general manager Mike Maccagnan have made a concerted effort to strengthen the middle of their roster this year, as Breer writes, choosing to add depth rather than target stars. The club has to execute that strategy through the draft, and Breer reports that third-round linebacker Jordan Jenkins, fourth-round cornerback Juston Burris, fifth-round tackle Brandon Shell and undrafted receiver Jalin Marshall “have all flashed ability.”

AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Bosa, Sanchez

August 10th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Dorsey is confident Eric Berry will show up at some point for the Chiefs‘ training camp in St. Joseph, Mo., which runs through August 18, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

“The agent has said … at some juncture during this course he will show up here,” Dorsey said. “I haven’t talked to Eric one on one about when he’s going to show up. Knowing what a prideful professional he is, I think he will show up at the appropriate time.”

Dorsey and the Chiefs weren’t able to work out an extension with the two-time All-Pro safety, and Berry is among a few high-profile Chiefs not participating in training camp. Berry’s absence leaves the Chiefs with only Ron Parker back from their strong core of safeties from 2015, a group that included since-retired Husain Abdullah and current Cardinal Tyvon Branch.

Berry has yet to sign his $10.86MM franchise tender and as late as July 26, the 27-year-old defender was not expected to report to camp. Since he hasn’t signed the tender, he’s not obligated to do so, leaving the Chiefs thin at safety.

Here’s more from the Chiefs and their division rivals.

  • Dorsey, though, was confident that Jamaal Charles would be ready by Week 1, with the fourth-year GM’s stance on Justin Houston was much murkier, according to Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. Dorsey referred to Charles as “ahead of schedule” despite the running back undergoing knee surgery last October, and he sees the eighth-year starter practicing within a couple of weeks. As for Houston, Dorsey did not want to offer a prospective return date like he did with Charles. After undergoing knee surgery in February, Houston is expected to miss the start of the season.
  • Nick Foles‘ deal is worth $1.25MM this season, with no signing bonus included, Terez Paylor of the Star reports. However, the fifth-year quarterback will earn a $200K roster bonus if he makes the 53-man team, as he’s expected to. The Chiefs hold a team option for Foles, who would see his price rise significantly if the Chiefs pick it up. At a $10.4MM base, Foles’ 2017 salary seems contingent on him becoming the starter. Since that’s not in the Chiefs’ plans as of now, with Alex Smith signed through 2018, it’s unlikely Kansas City picks up that option.
  • Joey Bosa‘s camp made the last offer in the edge defender’s impasse with the Chargers, putting the ball in San Diego’s court, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. The sides are still believed to be haggling over offset language and the structure of Bosa’s signing bonus.
  • Trevor Siemian has looked the best this offseason for the Broncos, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). But sources within the organization informed him the team will likely start Mark Sanchez in Week 1 due to his experience. However, the Broncos won’t be afraid to make a switch to Siemian if he continues to show them more than seventh-round picks typically do. Siemian is slated to play the second quarter of the Broncos’ preseason opener on Thursday.
  • Projected to be the Broncos’ right guard starter after moving from right to left tackle last year, Ty Sambrailo is now expected to miss the preseason due to an elbow injury he sustained in late July, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. The Broncos are thin behind Sambrailo after losing starters Evan Mathis (in free agency) and Louis Vasquez (cut) from their Super Bowl championship lineup, placing Sambrailo and Max Garcia in at guard. But the team is now using Darrion Weems, a fifth-year player but one who hasn’t suited up for a game since doing so with the 2013 Cowboys, in relief. Swing tackle Michael Schofield is also working sporadically at right guard in Sambrailo’s stead.

AFC Rumors: Hopkins, Chiefs, Ragland

August 6th, 2016 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

DeAndre Hopkins displayed his apparent dissatisfaction with the Texans known last week by staging a brief holdout, but the team is not discussing a new contract with the talented wideout. Rick Smith said, via James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link), no negotiations between Houston and Hopkins are transpiring right now.

The 24-year-old wideout, who is coming off back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard seasons, said on an NFL Network interview (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter) he’s not stewing over his contract situation. “It’s not something I sit here and think about. … What goes on off the field works itself out,” Hopkins said during the interview.

Owner Bob McNair said previously that the fourth-year receiver’s contract was going to come up in due time. Hopkins is set to make $1.5MM this season. Houston exercised Hopkins’ fifth-year option, putting him on their 2017 books for $7.915MM. As of now, that figure would rank 20th among wideouts in terms of ’17 earnings.

Regarding Hopkins’ situation, which isn’t unique in today’s NFL, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes the 2011 CBA overcorrected the previous problem of underperforming rookies anchoring payrolls. In allowing teams to wait a minimum of three seasons before giving deserving rookies raises, Florio notes the league not instituting a device that would ensure non-busts received their due earnings penalizes the players who do reward teams by outperforming their contracts.

Here’s more from the AFC on preseason eve.

  • Clark Hunt told media (including Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star) Eric Fisher‘s contract negotiations spanned barely two weeks in late July leading up to training camp. The Chiefs signed the scrutinized left tackle to a four-year, $48MM extension.
  • Hunt envisions the Chiefs revisiting Eric Berry‘s contract after the season. The franchise’s chairman echoed the reports that said the Chiefs and the All-Pro safety were too far apart on terms by July 15. “As soon as we have an opportunity next year, we’ll sit down with his representatives and see if we can work out a scenario where he could finish his career here. … We couldn’t close the gap this year, but next year’s a different situation,” Hunt said. “I can’t say that there will be anything fundamentally that happens that would make it possible, but it’s certainly something that we’ll talk about.” Berry will make $10.86MM this year as part of the franchise tag, one the 27-year-old talent has not signed and is not expected to for a while.
  • As he said in an interview with PFR’s Zach Links, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher does not foresee Berry being in the Chiefs’ long-term plans. The ESPN.com writer noted that simply a year passing and the sides being back at the negotiating table doesn’t mean either will compromise. Berry stands to be one of the most pursued free agents after this season, should the seventh-year safety reach the open market for the first time. The Chiefs are projected to possess just $6.7MM in cap space in ’17, and Dontari Poe will also be a free agent.
  • The Bills will work out free agent linebackers on Sunday after Rex Ryan backtracked on his statement saying Reggie Ragland likely avoided ligament damage after suffering a knee injury Friday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports. Ryan said the team is “definitely concerned” about Ragland’s knee, via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). Buffalo’s second-round pick sustained the injury in a non-contact situation. The team is already expected to be without first-round pick Shaq Lawson for multiple games.
  • The Steelers are involved in multiple contract negotiations, with David DeCastro joining Antonio Brown as players with whom management is discussing deals.
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