It was an unusual year, but it laid a foundation that Barnes feels has served him well now through five seasons and counting.
"I never try to get too high or get too low in any situation, it might be," said Barnes. "I think that allows me to kind of stay focused on each play, every drive, no matter what it is, I'm able to reset and log back in."
After three years in Green Bay, Barnes tested the free agency market, landing with the Arizona Cardinals. When Arizona signed Mack Wilson in 2024, it usurped most of Barnes' starting opportunities at MIKE. The two years in the desert, though, helped marry the instinctual play that came with playing as a rookie with the experience and maturity that only come with time.
"I think that's what helped me stay around so long, is my intellect," said Barnes. "I think I do a good job of taking notes, asking the right questions, have a good understanding of the defense, coming with that though, I feel like, yes, know my job, be a master of my job, but it helps me out when I know not just my job but the guy to the left of me the the D-line, the DBs."
And when Barnes arrived in Charlotte early this month, he was thrown right into the fire once again, where he's become most comfortable over the years.