Pro Football Focus has begun to unveil its top-101 players from the 2010s decade on Monday. PFF sought to look at the production, efficiency and performance of players during the 2010s decade and narrow them down to a list of 101. They began with players 74-101 and will continue counting down throughout the week to the No. 1 player which will be revealed on Thursday.
This week we are counting down the top 101 players in the NFL over the past decade
No. 101 on the #PFFAllDecade101
Eric Berry pic.twitter.com/1RB7Xo05GY
— PFF (@PFF) May 11, 2020
No. 101 – DB Eric Berry
“Much of Eric Berry’s legacy will revolve around beating cancer to return to play at an extremely high level. In addition to that incredible achievement, Berry was one of the best players of the past decade. He showed incredible versatility within the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense, excelling as a deep-lying free safety as well as an in-the-box joker on defense. It speaks to his skill set that his best seasons in terms of overall PFF grade (both well above 85.0) came in completely different roles and responsibilities within the defense.“
For a while, Berry was one of the most exciting defenders on the Chiefs’ defense. Like PFF says, he was a versatile playmaker, with the ability to line up in a variety of different spots. He could act as a ball-hawking deep safety. You could put him in the box against the run. He was a great one-on-one cover guy against tight ends. If you look at his two best seasons in Kansas City, 2010 and 2016, they’re nearly identical from a statistical standpoint with four interceptions, nine passes defended and at least one defensive touchdown in each season.
Unfortunately, Berry’s current legacy with the Chiefs is the $8 million in dead cap space for the 2020 season. While Berry is rumored to be looking for opportunities to continue his playing career, he’s at a bit of a disadvantage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and team doctors being unable to conduct a physical and examine the heel injury which marked his demise in Kansas City.