Kevin Barnes to add depth to secondary!! Let's Hope!!
http://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-insider/article-1/Twentymans-Daily-Notebook-Newest-Lion-Kevin-Barnes-adds-versatility-to-the-secondary/c15d28c2-ccef-454d-a138-c5f765169ed9Recently acquired cornerback Kevin Barnes couldn’t quite describe the feeling he had waking up this morning, other than to say it felt like there was something special about the day.
Barnes woke up Tuesday a Lion after beginning the day Monday a Redskin. The Lions traded an undisclosed conditional draft pick to the Redskins for Barnes on Monday.
On Tuesday, he was out on the practice field with his new team.
“It was definitely a weird day yesterday,” Barnes said after practice. “But some days you just wake up and feel like something is special about the day. Today, I woke up and I can’t describe what it felt like.
“It was a great thing coming in here and meeting all the coaches and players and getting out on the field felt like something special.”
Barnes, a former third-round pick out of Maryland, played in 15 games for the Redskins last season with one start. He had 26 tackles and two interceptions.
“First, he’s a young veteran,” head coach Jim Schwartz said of Barnes. “He’s got very good size. He’s got good straight-line speed. He’s got experience and he’s also played inside and outside.
“He can play in the slot; he played a lot of slot for the Redskins last year. We value that kind of multidimensional ability. We also value his size, his speed and the fact that he does have some experience. There’s a lot that intrigued us there.
Though he played a majority in the slot for the Redskins, Barnes (6-1, 190) says his versatility is his strongest asset.
“I can play many positions," he said. "I think I’m actually more comfortable outside than I am in the slot. I can also play safety, too, if need be.”
The Lions have an obvious need for depth and talent at cornerback with starters Chris Houston (ankle) and Bill Bentley (shoulder) suffering injuries in Saturday’s third preseason game in Oakland. Both have yet to return to practice.
Barnes said he’d like to play as early as Thursday’s fourth and final preseason game against the Bills. He said the fact that he’s already played the Bills this preseason while with the Redskins should help him. Barnes defended one pass in that game.
“We’ll see how quick we can get him up to speed in some packages,” Schwartz said. “He’s not going to know everything that we do when we get to Thursday night, but he’s going to have enough that he can go out and show if he can help us.”