Steelers Waive Fastest-Ever NFL Cornerback after Injury

UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived cornerback Kalon Barnes with an injury designation, the team announced on Monday.

Barnes had suffered a quad injury during the team’s training camp practice at St. Vincent College on Sunday and he missed practice on Tuesday.

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.

But 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.

In recent days, it seemed that Barnes had been passed on the Steelers depth chart by younger players like Darius Rush and Cory Trice, Jr. If he clears waivers on Tuesday, he will revert to the Steelers’ injured reserve list.

The Steelers now have two vacant slots on their 90-man offseason roster.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS INJURY REPORT