NASHVILLE – Cody Barton kept the faith.
As a 5-foot-8, 160-pound sophomore – when he was dwarfed by a 6-foot-4, 290-pound brother who was just a year older – he always felt like his time would come.
From an early age, his athletic parents had Barton and his three siblings believing hard work would make anything possible.
The mindset resulted in him developing from the "runt of the litter" to a prep star, and earning a college scholarship. It also paved the way for him to earn an opportunity in the NFL, and it eventually led him to Tennessee, where the Titans are counting on the inside linebacker to be a key piece in the middle of their defense in 2025.
"My dad always told us: Hard work is the only recipe," said Barton, who joined the Titans as free agent back in March after playing previously with the Seahawks, Commanders and Broncos. "The thing my dad always taught me, and he would tell me personally, being that I was the late bloomer in the family: "The cream always rises to the top."
"And I've always applied that to my career. No matter what, always keep working and just outwork the competition, and eventually the cream is going to rise to the top."
Barton, who is 6-foot-2, 237 pounds these days, put the work in to get to where he is today.
It turns out Barton has been on a mission since he was 10 years old, after receiving a pep talk from his father, and then being put on a strict regimen with his siblings.
Playing sports, you see, is what the Bartons do.
Father Paul Barton, who is 6-6, played football and baseball at the University of Utah, and he had a brief stint in the minor leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays. Mother Mikki-Kane Barton, who is six-foot, played volleyball and basketball at Utah, and is a member of the school's Crimson Club Hall of Fame.
Jackson Barton, the oldest son, played on the offensive line at Utah and has spent time with five NFL clubs, most recently the Arizona Cardinals. Cody Barton came along 15 months later, then came sister Dani, a former member of the U.S. women's national volleyball team who was an All-America performer at Utah. Baby brother Jackson is currently a senior on the football team at Utah.
Cody Barton said his father trained all the children – mentally and physically -- to earn their way. His mother provided encouragement and support, resulting in what Barton, with a smile, a "good cop, bad cop" scenario.
"My dad said: I'm going to do everything I can to help you guys get a full scholarship at the University of Utah, and go pro," Cody Barton recalled. "He's like, if you guys are committed to that, I am going to do everything I can. He was like, "You're not going to like me, but …
"As a 10-year-old, I was like: "Let's do it."
Cody Barton remembers waking up every morning with his 11-year-old brother Jackson, initially doing jump rope, planks, wall sits, and running. As they got older, they began lifting weights.
"My dad would push us," Barton said. "It was more about teaching us the power of the mind, and when you're tired, you can really go a lot further than you think. Us getting up at 5 a.m., it was more learning the discipline of getting up at 5. No one wants to get up at 5. So, it was teaching us the power of discipline and hard work and how far that can get you."
All the Barton children earned scholarships to Utah, even though it took Cody until his second semester of his freshman year. He's still motivated by that.
The hard work continued as Cody Barton got older.
Barton's father and uncle are first generation ranchers – they started a ranch in Duchesne, Utah in 2002.
Cody Barton grew up working on the ranch, moving water lines, baling hay, fixing fences and other chores with horses, cows, chickens, turkeys, and other wildlife around him.
Barton admits when he returns to the ranch these days, he's more interested in fishing, riding horses and looking for deer and elk horns.
But he's still all about the hard work, especially on the football field.
A six-year pro, Barton racked up over 100 tackles for the third straight season last year for the Broncos.
A third-round draft pick of the Seahawks in 2019, Barton has started 43 games in his career, including 38 games in the last three seasons for Seattle, Washington and Denver.
Over the last three seasons, Barton is one of only five NFL linebackers (Fred Warner, Tremaine Edmunds, Roquan Smith and Logan Wilson) to post 100+ tackles each season and total 5 or more interceptions over that timeframe.
Barton tallied a career-high 136 tackles in 2022 before recording 121 tackles in 2023 and 106 in 2024 while in Denver.
In Tennessee, he's ready to do his part in a new defense, in a city he'd never visited prior to signing. When he drives his massive dually truck around Nashville, he still wonders why the residential roads aren't wider.
Yet he feels like his timing is perfect here.
Back in high school, Barton didn't play his first three years because he was a late bloomer, but he finally started on varsity as a senior.
In college at Utah, he wasn't a starter his first three years, only stepping into the starting lineup when others got hurt. In his final college season, however, he started all 14 games and led the team with 116 tackles, along with four sacks and an interception.
In the NFL, Barton paid his dues his first three years in the league on special teams, while playing behind some good, veteran players on defense. But his career took off in year four, and he's been a highly productive player ever since.
Barton, whose middle name Likeke is of Hawaiian origin and means "courageous chief," feels like he's in Tennessee at just the right time.
He's ready to lead, and produce.
"Even when I was younger, I knew at some point it was going to be my time," Barton said. "I've always been a pretty positive, optimistic person. I always have that belief it's going to happen. If you really believe in something, it's going to happen.
"I feel like I'm very blessed, and feel very fortunate to be here. And I am looking forward to growing this thing, growing the culture, growing the wins, and just keep going. Everyone is hungry, and so am I."
