The Kansas City Chiefs will have a new free safety next season after wisely letting Kendrick Lewis go, but one constant at safety will be superstar strong safety Eric Berry, who is one of the best in the business. He was back to his elite self last year, and there aren’t many safeties out there who can dominate the box in run defense like Berry. There are even fewer safeties who can cover tight ends as well as Berry, who is underrated in coverage. He’ll be asked to take more responsibility in deep coverage next season, and it would be foolish to bet against him fulfilling those duties successfully.
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According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, Berry had to be carted off the practice field today, much to the worry of Kansas City Chiefs fans and anybody who enjoys watching great defensive backs do their thing. Not much is known about Berry’s status at the moment, but it seems like he is dealing with a lower-leg (foot) injury of some sort. Hopefully it’s just a minor injury, but any injury to a player of Berry’s caliber is worrisome and worth watching closely.
On the bright side, No. 2 tight end Anthony Fasano is putting together a strong day at training camp, as Chiefs official site beat writer BJ Kissel reports that Fasano has “consistently” made catches in traffic today during 1-on-1 drills. Fasano has mostly been known for his great blocking throughout his career, but the veteran TE is an underrated pass-catcher who is a big threat in the red zone. It’s not a surprise to hear that he’s dominating in contested catch situations in practice, because he collects most jump balls thrown at him in the end zone. Fasano finished with 23 receptions for 200 yards last season, and he has 27 career touchdown receptions; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t hit 30 by the end of the 2014 season.