The Kansas City Chiefs were missing (at least) two players from the start of the offseason program on Monday. Per reports from the Chiefs facility, Eric Berry and Justin Houston were not present.
Chiefs S Eric Berry and OLB Justin Houston are not present for the voluntary offseason workout program. Key word is voluntary.
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) April 18, 2016
These workouts are technically voluntary but not really. Coaches expect the players to be there and most players who miss have an excuse. That said, neither of these absences are a surprise. Berry has not signed his franchise tender so he's not under contract, which explains why he wasn't there. It's been reported that the Chiefs are likely to pick up talks with Berry's camp after the draft. The two sides have until July 15 to reach agreement on a long-term deal or else Berry must play out the season under his one-year, $10.8M franchise tender.
As for Houston, he was said to be in Kansas City recently working out after his February ACL surgery. He was not in attendance on Monday and it's not clear what his offseason schedule is as he recovers from his surgery. He's probably not going to be ready until the sometime in the season anyway.