Barnes finished the 2024 season with 35 total tackles (19 solo), including 2.0 sacks, over 17 games. Barnes was able to appear in all 17 games with Arizona this season, spending the majority of his time operating as a special-teams option. The linebacker was able to notch a career-high 2.0 sacks while playing 201 total defensive snaps. Barnes will end the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and he'll likely have no trouble finding another suitor in 2025.
Barnes made nine tackles (eight solo), including a tackle for a loss, in Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Packers. The middle linebacker was playing in place of Kyzir White, who exited in the second quarter with a knee injury. Barnes played on more than 19 percent of Arizona's defensive snaps just once in the first five games, and his playing time moving forward might depend on White's status.
The Cardinals signed Barnes off the practice squad to the active roster Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports. Barnes was initially omitted from Arizona's 53-man roster at the end of training camp and signed to the practice squad Wednesday. That was a deliberate move by the Cardinals, who needed to keep a spot on the initial roster open for Elijah Jones (heel) after placing Darius Robinson (calf) and Christian Jones (ankle) in the two spots dedicated to players placed on injured reserve who are designated to return. With Jones now placed on IR without having to miss the entire 2024 season, Barnes was brought back onto the active roster Thursday. Barnes played in 16 regular-season games in 2023 and finished with 55 tackles (35 solo), six passes defended and one interception.
Barnes and the Cardinals agreed on a one-year contract Monday, Johnny Venerables of PHNX Cardinals reports. Barnes joined the Cardinals ahead of the 2023 campaign, recording 55 tackles and six pass deflections (including an interception) over 16 games. The linebacker will now have a chance to build off of that performance in another campaign with Arizona.