Let’s ask this. Again.
NFL free agency has gone through its first two waves of signings. One player still available is Eric Berry, and it’s quite painful to see. When he was on, Berrry was a safety no one wanted to [site-decorum] with. The one you didn’t want to challenge on the field. He went through so much adversity, including a battle with cancer and kept coming back after everything. The ruptured Achilles in 2017 was what sealed his fate and the Chiefs released him after the 2018 season.
If he can stay healthy, Berry can be a potential game-changer on the field. That’s a big ‘if.’ As far as news for the team, the longer it’s been, the cheaper Berry could be to sign. Now that we’re into May, maybe it’s time to lock him on one of those one-year prove it deals like Jason Verrett has.
In 2016, Berry finished with four interceptions (two of which became touchdowns) and nine passes defended. In 2017, the aforementioned achilles injury ended his season after one game. He was day-to-day for pretty much the entire 2018 season and only played in two games. This is after he was taken out in 2017 in Week 1. There was a segment awhile back with Mike Garafolo saying that Berry’s issue isn’t something he can’t play through and he won’t need a procedure.
It’s great that he can play, and the 49ers need another safety, but achilles injuries are nothing to mess with. Even the slightest overuse or sprain can take months, even years to heal, if it ever were to at all. We don’t know the extent of the injury so it’s premature to pass judgment, but it’s definitely risky given how he showed up on the injury report in 2018.
That said, he might come cheap and the 49ers could use him in training camp. Is now the time to go get Berry for a 1-year deal?
About the Author: Insidethe49
