A couple underperforming former first-round draft picks will be poised to trade places soon.
The St. Louis Rams are going to ship out offensive tackle Alex Barron, who has been angling for a trade all offseason, to the Dallas Cowboys, who in return will send linebacker Bobby Carpenter packing, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The trade will provide the Cowboys with some depth on the offensive line after Flozell Adams was released, but per the report Doug Free is locked in as the left tackle. The nice thing about Barron is that he has experience playing on both sides of the line. He looked the part of a top tackle at times with the Rams, but then inexplicably struggled with lesser competition.
The Rams filled their void for a tackle when they drafted Indiana’s Roger Saffold in the second round and the Cowboys did the same when it came to their need for a linebacker by getting Sean Lee from Penn State in the second round. Lee is believed to have been the top linebacker on Dallas’ board.
St. Louis had significant problems at linebacker last season and Carpenter has experience playing both inside and outside. With James Laurinaitis entrenched in the middle for the Rams, chances are Carpenter will play on the weak side in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Carpenter made just one start in four seasons in Dallas.
Both players will have to pass physicals. Barron has yet to sign his tender as a restricted free agent that is worth $2.62 million. Per the report, Carpenter has a $1.895 million incentive payment due in the final year of his contract.
Follow me on Twitter: BradBiggs