Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Kalon Barnes has cleared waivers after the team waived him on Monday with an injury designation.
Barnes suffered a quad injury during the team’s training camp practice at St. Vincent College on Sunday and he missed practice on Monday before being waived later in the day.
Because he cleared waivers, he will now revert to the injured reserve list at a reduced salary. The Steelers have five days to reach an injury settlement with Barnes, which seems likely, as quad injuries are rarely season-ending.
If the Steelers do not reach an injury settlement with Barnes, he will stay on the team’s injured reserve list for the remainder of the season and the club will maintain his rights for the 2025 season as an exclusive rights free agent.
Barnes, 25, is in his third professional season out of Baylor. The 6-foot, 186-pound cornerback ran the fastest time in the history of the NFL Combine for a cornerback coming out of college, running a 4.23-second 40-yard dash.
The Silsbee, Texas native has yet to make an impact at the NFL level. He bounced from the Carolina Panthers, who took him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, to the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, playing two games with Minnesota before signing with the Steelers for the first time in September 2023.
He spent just one week on the team’s practice squad last season, and later spent time with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns before the Steelers re-signed him in January to a future contract for the 2024 season.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS INJURY REPORT
| Player | Injury | Date | Prognosis | Roster Status |
| CB Kalon Barnes | Quad | Aug. 11 | TBD | Injured reserve |
| WR Tarik Black | Hamstring | Aug. 11 | TBD | Waived/injured |
| OT Troy Fautanu | Left MCL sprain | Aug. 9 | Two weeks | Active, DNP on Mon. |
| NT Keeanu Benton | Right eye | Aug. 9 | TBD | Active, DNP on Mon. |
| NT Breiden Fehoko | Arm/shoulder | Aug. 7 | TBD | Injured reserve |
| S Nate Meadors | Hamstring | Aug. 6 | TBD | Injured reserve |
| OLB Alex Highsmith | Groin | Aug. 6 | TBD | Active, DNP on Mon. |
| OLB David Perales | Torn left MCL | July 31 | Months | Injured reserve |
| WR Roman Wilson | Left ankle sprain | July 30 | Week to week | Active, DNP on Mon. |
| DT Dean Lowry | Right calf | June | Healthy | Active, FP on Mon. |
| RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson | Left hamstring | Unknown | Healthy | Active, FP on Mon. |
| ILB Cole Holcomb | Left knee | Nov. 2, 2023 | TBD | Physically unable to perform |