Comeback Player of the Year; First-Team All-Pro
In terms of consistency, very few players had as dominant a decade from Tennessee football as Eric Berry. He was a first-round draft pick in 2010 and immediately became a Pro Bowler, leading the way for the success the Vols would have throughout the 2010s. However, his 2015 season stood out in a special way.
This was the season that Berry came back from lymphoma. Back in 2014, Berry’s season was cut short due to the illness. It was the second season he had missed in his short five-year career, as he suffered a season-ending injury in 2011. Although he recovered, there were questions as to how effective he’d be when he got back on the field with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Well, those questions were put to rest pretty quickly. Berry started in 15 of 16 games, and he came away with two interceptions and 61 total tackles, 55 of which were solo. He helped Andy Reid and co. get back to the playoffs as well, demonstrating his value after the team missed out on it back in 2014.
Because of his efforts, Berry was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, a well-deserved honor, and he earned his fourth Pro Bowl along with his second First-Team All-Pro honor. Simply put, he was the story of the year, and it was certainly enough to make this list.