The road to the NFL hasn’t been easy for Packers linebacker Krys Barnes. The former UCLA star overcame long odds to not only earn a roster spot with the Packers but a starting job in his rookie year. This season, Barnes will face some different challenges in his NFL journey but don’t bet against him being equal to the task.
Barnes went undrafted after his senior year at UCLA. While he was always a productive player and a leader in college, he had average size and didn’t exactly excel when it came to pre-draft testing.
“He had played good football in college, [but] he did not test particularly well, and sometimes that’s what happens,” Packers GM Brain Gutekunst said of Barnes last preseason. “They fall through the cracks because maybe they didn’t test at the NFL norms that everybody’s looking for. And then they get [into the league] and they get an opportunity and they take full advantage of it.”
As an undrafted free agent, Barnes had an uphill climb to make the Packers roster in 2020. There were no in-person OTAs and no preseason games that year because of the pandemic. That made it even more difficult for an undrafted player to make an impression on the coaching staff.
But somehow, Barnes did make an impression. Although the Packers released him before the season started, they signed him to the practice squad before the first game of the 2020 season. He was elevated to the active roster for the season opener and then remained there for the rest of the season.
Barnes played in 13 games as a rookie, starting 10 of them. He was in on 80 tackles including five tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and recorded one sack.
“Every time he’s had an opportunity, he’s just capitalized on it,” Gutekunst added. “He’s been ready, he’s been prepared, he’s fought through injuries. It’s really a credit to the kid because when you come in like Krys did, you’re not going to get the same opportunities maybe as a guy who gets drafted high does. When you get those opportunities, you have to make the most of them — whether that’s in the meeting room with a coach, whether that’s on the field in a preseason game, in a practice, whatever it is, you have to make the most of those opportunities to get more opportunities and he’s done that the whole way through.”
In his second season, Barnes played in 16 games and started 13. He was on the field for 52 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and also saw action on special teams. Barnes may not be big or very fast by NFL standards, but he works hard, studies the playbook and uses his intelligence and anticipation to be in the right place at the right time to make plays.
In 2021, Barnes made 81 tackles, recovered two fumbles, broke up four passes and added another sack to his totals. He definitely made some progress as a player in his second year in the league and was even calling signals for the defense at times during the preseason.
But during the offseason, the Packers drafted linebacker Quay Walker with their first selection in the first round, 22nd overall. The Georgia product has the size and athletic ability scouts look for in an off-ball linebacker.
It is obvious that the Packers didn’t draft Walker to have him sit on the bench and most observers say it is just a matter of time before Walker supplants Barnes as the starter at inside linebacker opposite All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell. Once again, Barnes will face a challenge for his starting job.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry is expected to play two off-ball linebackers more frequently this season to help improve the run defense. This means more snaps and opportunities for inside linebackers to be on the field.
Barnes will have to be ready. Whether the’s in the starting lineup when the regular season gets underway in September or he begins the year as the primary backup to both Campbell and Walker, Barnes will still see the field. He will also likely play on special teams and will see some action in a rotation on defense depending on the package the Packers are in.
Obviously, Barnes will also have to be ready to fill in if either Campbell or Walker miss time due to injuries or ineffective play.
Don’t count Krys Barnes out. He’s overcome long odds before and made a place for himself on this football team. Nothing in the NFL is given to anybody and Barnes won’t give up his starting job without a fight.
You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers