Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Kalon Barnes cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve, according to Tuesday’s NFL transaction log.
This was an expected and procedural move after the team waived/injured Barnes yesterday. He suffered a quad injury mid-way through Wednesday’s practice and despite trying to fight through it, could not finish out the day.
Barnes, who signed a Reserve/Futures contract in the offseason, began camp as a consistent second-team corner. But he ceded reps to Cory Trice Jr. and Anthony Averett throughout training camp. While he made a nice play in Friday’s preseason opener, a breakup deep downfield to prevent a touchdown, Barnes had a sub-par training camp. His run defense was serviceable but the 4.23 speed he displayed at the Combine didn’t match on the field, too often beat vertically and showing poor technique.
Barnes will receive a split salary of $495,000 while he remains on injured reserve. However, it’s likely he’ll be released with an injury settlement over the next week, which are typically designated for three weeks of salary and are reflective of the time it would take to heal from his injury. In theory, Barnes could return to the Steelers’ roster later this year but he would have to wait the settlement period plus several more weeks before eligible to re-sign.
A seventh round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2022, Barnes has appeared in two regular season games, both coming with the Minnesota Vikings during his rookie year. He logged nine special teams snaps and zero tackles.
