Alex Barron departs.

The Rams traded tackle Alex Barron to the Cowboys in exchange for linebacker Bobby Carpenter. I'm reading where some people think this is a huge win for the Cowboys. I don't see it.

Well, I guess upon reflection, I do, actually. Barron is a highly divisive guy among Rams fans. Some think he's an acceptable starter. Some think he's crap. Carpenter appears to be in a similar spot among Cowboys fans, some of whom think he's shown flashes and is playing in a system that doesn't suit him, and some think he's a stiff, useless lump who can't tackle. Naturally, there are going to be some people who think the Cowboys won this one going away, if they happen to like Barron and are on the low end for their opinion of Carpenter.

Barron's been inconsistent as a run blocker, inconsistent as a pass blocker, and a penalty machine. I don't see any reason to expect improvement. Cowboys fans, who are among the worst (best?) in the league for celebrating team moves no matter what, keep referring back to Leonard Davis, given up on by Arizona, who became a pro bowler with the Cowboys. The comparison isn't apt. Davis was a physical beast who was drafted as a left tackle, and failed there. The obvious move was to shift him inside, but the Cardinals, having invested the #2 pick in the draft on a LT, refused to budge. The Cowboys made a great pickup because they saw him as a guard from the get-go. Barron is a pure tackle. He's not going to be the beneficiary of a position switch; he's a tackle until he drops. Cowboys fans are also defending their team by claiming that Barron will just be a backup, ignoring the team's statements that he'll be given a chance to compete for the starting LT position. Clearly, they see him as more than just a pure backup.

I'm so down on Barron that I'd have celebrated if they'd cut him outright. Whether Carpenter becomes useful or not is almost irrelevant to me. Barron wasn't useful, and he was a major contributing factor to a lousy offensive line. They weren't going to get better while keeping him around. Smith and Saffold have a much higher ceiling than Barron and anyone. I'm hopeful that this trade was tied to Saffold's performance in rookie mini-camp, and that he'll deserve and win the starting RT job right away. If that happens, nobody will care about Alex Barron.