Report: Chiefs’ Berry will join team
Falcons’ Neal needs surgery; Brady, Roethlisberger sharp in their preseason debuts
All-Pro safety Eric Berry plans to report to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, giving him two weeks and one preseason game to prepare for the start of the regular season.
A person familiar with his plans told the Associated Press that Berry will join the team after its preseason game tonight in Chicago. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because he was not authorized to discuss Berry’s plans publicly.
Berry was given the franchise tag early in the offseason but has not signed the deal, which means he could skip all of training camp without being fined. If he signs the one-year contract, he would earn just over $10.8 million, making him the league’s highest-paid safety. Surgery for Falcons’ Neal: Rookie strong safety Keanu Neal, Atlanta’s first-round pick and a projected starter, will miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury.
Neal will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday and is expected to miss three to four weeks. Friday night’s preseason games: Tom Brady looked sharp in his preseason debut, throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan in helping the New England Patriots to a 19-17 win over the host Carolina Panthers.
Brady relieved Jimmy Garoppolo late in the first quarter and completed a 37-yard pass to Aaron Dobson on his first play from scrimmage, leading to a field goal. On his second drive, Brady threw a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder pass to Hogan down the right sideline for a 9-0 lead. Brady’s other two drives failed to produce points.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player, was intercepted twice and produced just three points in 10 drives.
Ben Roethlisberger torched New Orleans’ defense for 148 yards and two touchdown passes on his first two series of this preseason, then got the rest of the game off while the Pittsburgh Steelers rolled to a 27-14 victory over the host Saints.
With the Buffalo Bills (1-2) resting almost their entire starting defense, Kirk Cousins overcame a rough start to finish 12-for-23 for 188 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the host Washington Redskins won, 21-16.
Redskins undrafted rookie running back Robert Kelley ran for 51 yards on 12 carries in a personal showcase with Matt Jones and Chris Thompson out and after seventh-round pick Keith Marshall sprained his left elbow on his only carry of the game.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon caught everything thrown his way in his preseason debut, scoring on a 43-yard reception and catching another pass from Robert Griffin III for a 44-yard gain that led to a first-quarter field goal in a 30-13 loss to the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers.