There’s no doubting Eric Berry’s best days are behind him. The former All-Pro safety has only managed four games in his last two seasons. Berry missed all but one game in 2017 with a torn Achilles. Last season a heel injury limited him to just three games for the Kansas City Chiefs. Ordinarily, you would want to avoid a player like this at all costs. Eric Berry is no ordinary player however. When right the former three time All-Pro, and five time Pro-Bowler is one of the best safeties in the entire league. Now it is very possible Berry will never be that same player again. The question for the Steelers is, would 70% of Eric Berry be an upgrade to what Morgan Burnett brings to the table? That’s even if we are looking at a fully heathy Burnett, which is a rare sight these days. When you then add the unmistakable locker room presence of Berry, to the fact that Burnett has openly asked to be released, this idea becomes better and better.
All this is dependent on what kind of contract Berry will be looking for. Or if he wants to play football at all at this point. A one year deal at short money to prove himself once again would be a great move for both the player and the Steelers. There’s no question bringing a character guy like Berry would do wonders for a locker room still stuck with the lingering stench of players like Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Le’Veon Bell. Who knows, the Steelers may even hit lightning in a bottle and find out he can still play at a high level. After all, Berry is only thirty years old. That just happens to be the same age as the safety looking for his way out of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers have nothing to lose by kicking the tires on this player to see where he’s at.