CHIEFS
Berry to return Sunday
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is expected to return to the team on Sunday, a source told The Kansas City Star on Friday.
Berry has skipped the last month of training camp and practice in an effort to show his displeasure that the Chiefs were unable to reach a long-term contract agreement with him. Berry, who was designated with the franchise tag in March, is slated to make $10.8 million this year.
The Chiefs could use Berry, who is the four-time Pro Bowler and reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The first-string defense has been gashed a bit in the Chiefs' first two preseason games, and Berry, a very strong run defender, will surely help in that area when the Chiefs open the season at home against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 11.
Berry's return on Sunday puts him in line to potentially play in the Chiefs' final exhibition game on Thursday at home against the Green Bay Packers, although it is not a given.
"I think it's important to see what kind of shape he is in and then gradually bring him back into the football speed of things," Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said earlier this week. "I don't think it's the end of the world if he doesn't play in the last preseason game. The most important thing is to put eyes on him and see what kind of shape he is in so we don't put him at risk out there."
During Berry's absence, rookie Eric Murray and third-year pro Daniel Sorensen have taken the majority of the reps next to entrenched starter Ron Parker.
FALCONS
Surgery set for Neal
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal, a first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2016 draft, is set to have knee surgery and will miss three to four weeks, according to the team.
Neal had an MRI on Friday, and it was determined that he will need minor surgery.
He will have the arthroscopic surgery done Monday, and the team expects a full recovery.
Quinn gave an update on Neal's knee injury to a reporter from NBC at halftime Thursday and said he thought it was "not a significant knee injury at this point."
Neal, the team's first-round draft choice and projected starter at strong safety, suffered a right knee injury late in the first quarter against Miami.
His return to the game initially was announced as "questionable" by the team. He later was declared "out" of the game.
Rookie Damian Parms took over at safety for Neal, who had amassed five tackles.
Strong safety Kemal Ishmael, who's listed as the No. 2 player behind Neal, was out with a shoulder injury. He's expected back to practice soon and could end up with the starting job.
Neal was trying to cover Miami running back Arian Foster when he went to the grass after a move by Foster. Neal tried to walk off the field, but waited for the trainers. He appeared to be under his own power when he walked off the field.
Neal's injury is a serious blow to the Falcons' rebuilding efforts on defense.
Last season's starting strong safety William Moore was released during the offseason and has yet to sign with another team.
STEELERS
Making salary cap space
The Pittsburgh Steelers are furiously rewriting contracts to create salary cap space.
Over the past few days, the Steelers created more than $5 million in room under their salary cap, according to NFL Players Association figures, by restructuring the deals of Mike Mitchell and Marcus Gilbert.
The team's salary cap space has climbed to $7,415,167 as of this morning, according to the union. That includes the new three-year contract linebacker Vince Williams signed this week.
The Steelers must account for a bunch of injury settlements that are due, part of the reason they are restructuring contracts to create salary cap room.
Antonio Brown has expressed a desire for a new contract, even though he has two years left on his current deal. The Steelers have a long-standing policy of not offering new deals until a player reaches the point of entering the final year of his contract. The only exceptions they made were for starting quarterbacks.
However, they did advance Brown $2 million on his 2016 salary last year and that could be in the offering again, although there is no reason the team could not advance him, say, twice that much on his 2017 salary. As of now, Brown is set to earn $6,250,000 in salary this year and $8,710,000 in 2017.
Mitchell was due a $5 million salary this year and the Steelers turned $4,115,000 of that into a signing bonus in order to create room this year under their cap. That bonus then is pro-rated over the three years he has left on his contract, or $1,371,666 per season merely for cap purposes -- he still receives his $5 million this season but in the form of the new signing bonus and a new salary of $885,000.
Mitchell's restructuring created more than $2.7 million in salary cap room this year, although it dumps nearly $1.4 million onto the cap in each of the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Likewise, Gilbert's restructuring created $2.4 million in salary cap space this year for the Steelers. It reduced his salary from $3,950,000 to $760,000 this year and turned the rest -- nearly $3.2 million -- into a signing bonus.
Sports on 08/27/2016