Krys

Barnes

Jones must miss at least the next four games before being eligible for a return. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals added linebacker Krys Barnes to the active roster. The Cardinals used the No. 90 overall pick in this year’s draft on Jones to help bolster a secondary that struggled in its first season under head coach Jonathan Gannon. Jones will be eligible to return in Week 5 when the Cardinals travel to San Francisco to take on the Niners.

Barnes went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and was unable to walk off under his own power. Barnes entered the NFL as a UDFA in 2020. He notched 81 tackles as a rotational player last year.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Barnes was a long-time fixture for the Bruins defense, appearing in 31 games over the last three years and recording 138 solo tackles and 72 assisted tackles over his career. He needs to have a solid pre-draft process to lock down a Day 3 slot, as NFL scouts told the LA Times in November that the “instinctive and hard-working” Barnes was “average across the board.” Those scouts indicated that Barnes was graded as a late-rounder or a priority free agent.

Barnes (6'1/235) was injured in the third quarter of UCLA’s loss to USC this weekend and did not return. He was seen at Monday’s practice stretching with a brace on his left knee, so he is attempting to play in what will be the last game of his career. Barnes has played in 10 games posting 72 tackles, 48 solo, with 4 sacks and an interception. HC Chip Kelly referred to Barnes as the ‘quarterback of the defense’ so they hope he will play this Saturday when the Bruins host Cal.

Barnes (6'1/235) was on the field for the portion of Monday’s practice that is open to the media with a brace on his right knee. It’s unknown how much the junior linebacker participated in the full practice, so this is something to keep an eye on as the Bruins prepare for their Pac-12 opener at Arizona. Kelly hasn’t been the most forthcoming with information regarding the health of players this season, so this could be a situation where Barnes’ status isn’t truly known until kickoff Saturday night.

The Bruins finished with the second-best recruiting haul in the Pac-12 on National Signing Day per Rivals’ metrics, where they ranked No. 11. They would have secured the strongest in the conference had it not been for USC’s late run. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Barnes is one of nine baby Bruins to crack the ESPN 300 (he checks in at No. 191). Said ESPN 300 notes that he “would benefit from not leaving his feet as much but drives through and limits second efforts. [He’s] developing more power from his hips at this stage but will still pop ball carriers and drive them back.”