KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs safety Eric Berry hasn't practice since Aug. 11 with a sore heel, and he while he won't practice Wednesday head coach Andy Reid refused to rule his veteran leader in or out for Sunday's opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“If he's ready, he's ready,” Reid said. “If he's not then we go a different direction and roll with that.”
The team's head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder described Berry's status as “It is literally day-to-day.”
“He won't practice today but he's spent a lot of time with us,” Burkholder said. “He spent a lot of time with us. He's improving, he's getting better every day, so we'll continue with that process.”
Berry did appear for a few moments in the locker room during the period open to the media. He also worked out with the team's strength department and athletic training staff Wednesday morning.
“He's improving, which is the most important thing,” Reid said. “He had a great day of work actually today. Let's just see how it goes and play it by ear.”
Reid suggested that he needs to see Berry in practice, however, before determining his game status.
“We'll see if he can practice then I'll just go from there,” Reid said. “I'd want to see what he's got if and when he does that. But then I'll just make the decision off what I see there.”
The Chiefs listed Berry and Ron Parker as the team's starting safeties on their unofficial depth chart. Eric Murray would likely start in Berry's place if he cannot play. Reid said there was a "pretty good chance" Parker would start Sunday.
"We're very confident in the guys that can step up in go," Reid said.
The Chiefs do know they will be without safety Daniel Sorensen for at least the first half of the season. Sorensen underwent surgery for a tibial plateau fracture on Aug. 8. The team placed Sorensen on injured reserve but he can designate him to return to the active roster after Week 8.
Burkholder said Sorensen remained with the club for his rehabilitation and team meetings. He's scheduled for a examination of his progress in two weeks.
“But he's where he's supposed to be right now, he's working hard,” Burkholder said.
The Chiefs placed rookie wide receiver Byron Pringle on season-ending injured reserve during the cutdown to 53 players. He sustained a pulled left hamstring injury during the team's preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers, but an MRI also revealed left inguinal hernia that required immediate surgery on Tuesday.
“He's got an extended recovery ahead of him for the hernia,” Burkholder said, “and then in the meantime the hamstring will also get attention but the hamstring will heal up quicker than the hernia will, so he's going to miss some time.
