Barnes attended Toms River High School North. As a senior, he only played in 8 games, registering 148 carries for 1,163 yards and 15 touchdowns. He received second-team All-state by The Star-Ledger and first-team all-county honors at the end of the season.
College career
Barnes accepted a football scholarship from Rutgers University. He did not play in any game as a freshman. He tallied 20 carries for 50 yards as a sophomore. He sat out his junior season until transferring to Hampton University. As a senior, he appeared in 10 games, posting 27 carries for 93 yards, one touchdown and one reception for 7 yards.
On September 2, 2002, he was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in six games and was declared inactive in ten contests, playing mainly on special teams and being a part of the Super Bowl XXXVII winning team. In 2003, he appeared in 14 games, before being placed on the injured reserve list on December 16, with a sprained left AC joint. He finished with 7 special teams tackles. On April 25, 2004, he was traded along with a seventh round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a seventh round draft choice.
On October 24, 2005, he signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins to be the team's blocking fullback for running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. In 2006, he appeared in 16 games, making 3 receptions for 22 yards.
New York Jets
On March 8, 2007, he was signed by the New York Jets to be the fullback for Thomas Jones, who was also his teammate with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in 5 games and was declared inactive in 4 contests. He was released on November 29.
On October 28, 2008, Barnes was signed by the Detroit Lions to replace injured rookie fullback Jerome Felton. On November 11, he was released after the team re-signed running back Aveion Cason.
New Orleans Saints
On November 18, 2008, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints to replace injured fullback Mike Karney, reuniting with Sean Payton who was his offensive coordinator with the Cowboys. He was waived on December 21. He was re-signed to a future contract following the end of the season. He was released on July 23, 2009.
Personal life
Barnes created a comic book called "National Triumph League" along with a partner, which sees professional athletes blessed with superhuman talent. Barnes and his wife, Rebecca, have four daughters, Damara, Darren, Daylin and Draya. In 2013, Barnes returned to his alma materToms River North as an assistant coach. In 2014, he was named the interim head coach at Colts Neck High School. In January 2015, he was promoted to head coach permanently. He resigned after the 2017 season, finishing with an 8-22 record. In June 2020, he competed on the 20th season of the Food Network showWorst Cooks in America.
