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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Tyler Forness

Vikings 90-man roster player profile: CB Kalon Barnes

Kalon Barnes Vikings Brian Flores

Welcome to the beginning of our 2023 season preview content!

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each player on the roster in-depth with backgrounds and how they currently project forward on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

What is the best-case scenario? What is the worst-case scenario? What should we expect from them during the preseason and beyond? We will break all of that down here.

As a staff, all of us at Vikings Wire ranked the entire 90-man roster 1-90 and will be releasing player profiles in reverse order.

Background

Name: Kalon Barnes

Rank: 67

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 186 lbs

Experience: 2nd year

College: Baylor

Stats (in NFL): 2 games

Votes: 

Tyler Forness: 67

Kevin Fielder: 66

Judd Zulgad: 68

Saivion Mixson: 66

Average: 66.75

Best case scenario

Speed kills in off-man coverage when you play with good instincts. Barnes has that ability to be successful. His biggest issues are that he relies too much on his incredible 4.23 40-yard dash speed. When you bring in a guy like Brian Flores, he can teach him how to play smarter football and utilize technique more than his athletic gifts.

Worst case scenario

Speed isn’t everything. Those that have incredible athletic gifts can struggle pairing it with technique because they have a what is viewed as a trump card. Barnes played in two games with the Vikings last season amidst their injury issues at cornerback, but they still made a lot of investments in the draft and free agency at the position.

What to expect in 2023

Barnes has a chance to make the back end of the roster due to his speed and ability on special teams. There is something there for Barnes in terms of potential as a cornerback, but can that be developed by Flores? Practice squad with the Vikings likely elevating him throughout the season to play a game here and there is the likely path.

The Real Forno Show

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