Eric Berry misses practice again, right heel concern grows

Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network the injury is "kind of related" to the Achilles tear that kept Berry out for all but one game in 2017.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry missed practice again Thursday, and NFL Network reports the Chiefs are concerned about the right heel issue that has kept him out since mid-August.

Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network the injury is "kind of related" to the Achilles tear that kept Berry out for all but one game in 2017.

"It is something that is concerning," Rapoport added. "No timetable on when he will back, but from those who have watched him work out, he seems a little different. He seems not quite right."

Berry, 29, did not play in the preseason and hasn't practiced since Aug. 14. His current issue is in his right heel, as opposed to the left Achilles he tore in the 2017 opener, but Berry also had soreness in his right heel last preseason, which could have factored in the season-ending injury to the other foot.

Head coach Andy Reid has labeled Berry as day-to-day, saying only "we'll see" when asked if he'll play in Sunday's opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he appears unlikely to suit up at the moment.

The Chiefs brought back former starting safety Ron Parker -- who they released in March and was let go by the Atlanta Falcons during final cuts -- last week, and he is expected to start on Sunday.

Berry has played in 15-plus games in five of his eight NFL seasons, earning Pro Bowl appearances in each of those campaigns and first-team All-Pro nods in 2013, 2015-16. He missed all but one game in 2011 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and he sat out the final 10 games in 2014 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.