Adam Peters made his message clear again: if something isn’t working, he won’t sit around and wait for it to fix itself.
After cutting veteran kicker Jake Moody and ending a summer competition that had already tilted in favor of undrafted rookie Drew Stevens, the Washington Commanders quickly turned around and added another player who could help on the margins. According to Mark Zenuitz of CBS Sports, the team is signing linebacker Kyrs Barnes after a successful tryout.
It’s the second linebacker addition in a matter of days, with Curtis Jacobs having joined the club shortly before the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins. On the surface, that might look odd for a group that was expected to be a strength. But Barnes’ arrival says less about the depth chart at linebacker and more about a very specific area the Commanders are trying to clean up.
Special teams coverage.
Barnes brings size, speed, and enough track record to make him worth a look. He spent seven games with the Carolina Panthers last season and started three of them. His defensive role remains a bit uncertain, but he has built a reputation as a solid special-teams contributor in recent years, and that’s where Washington appears to be looking for help.
That need has been obvious. The Commanders drew criticism for their special-teams coverage during joint practice with the Dolphins, and while things looked a little better in the warm-up game against Miami, the inconsistency hasn’t gone unnoticed by Peters.
Jacobs was the first addition. Barnes is the next swing at the same problem.
Washington also lost Nick Bellore to retirement just before training camp, and his absence has left a real hole in the phase he long defined. The Commanders are still searching for the right mix, and Barnes is another player getting a chance to step in.
At 6-foot-2 and 229 pounds, Barnes may not project as a major factor in the starting lineup. That’s not really the point here.
Washington has other options at linebacker, including Sonny Styles, Frankie Luvu, Leo Chenal, and maybe even Jordan Magee. What the Commanders need from Barnes is something narrower and more immediate: help on special teams, and maybe a path to moving ahead of players like Ale Kaho and Kain Medrano.
That won’t be easy, but it’s also not out of the question.
Barnes has been waiting for a shot, and now he has one. He’s experienced enough to come in quickly and make his case whenever he gets on the field. And with final cuts just a couple of weeks away, the pressure is only getting tighter.
That’s the way Peters seems to want it. The Commanders are pushing urgency across the roster, and Barnes’ addition turns up the heat for everyone fighting to stick.
It would be a surprise if Barnes doesn’t get plenty of work on special teams in Washington’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions this weekend. If he makes the most of it, the conversation around his place on the roster could change fast.
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