Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon as players began reporting to the campus of Missouri Western State University for training camp.

One of the major questions that was asked of Reid during media availability surrounded the status of veteran safety Eric Berry, who was given the franchise tag this past offseason.

"First of all, we love Eric Berry," Reid explained. "He's a huge part of this football team. Whether he's here or not, I can't answer that. I know there's a report out there that he's not going to be here. I've always said, 'We'll coach the guys who are here.'

"My standpoint and the organization's standpoint is that he's a huge part of this. I'm hoping that he's here, and if he's not, I understand that too. I've been doing this for a few years. I know how things go and it'll all work out one way or another.

"He's going to continue to be a heck of a football player for us, so we look forward to getting him back in here and rolling with him."

Reid confirmed that he's recently texted with Berry, but that those exchanges weren't about whether or not he'd be at camp.

"Whatever way you cut it, [Berry] is a great football player and good things are going to happen to him here," Reid added. "I know how he's wired and he loves to play the game.

"It's a weird dynamic that you're juggling (with the business side of football), and I've seen it before. When it's time to play, they play and get after it."

Berry is coming off the fourth Pro Bowl season of his career, and he was also named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after finishing with 61 tackles, 2 interceptions and 10 pass defensed just a year removed from beating Hodgkin's lymphoma.