What the proposed Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams Trade Means?

The rumor mill is hot with the discussion of the Dallas Cowboys trading former 1^st round pick Bobby Carpenter for fellow former 1^st round pick Alex Barron.  This trade is expected to be finished early this week as long as both players pass physicals.  As a result of this trade there is an immediate impact for some rookies.

For the St. Louis Rams this opens up a spot on the offensive line for 2^nd round pick Rodger Saffold.  Saffold was the 1^st pick of the 2^nd round and is capable of playing both the right and left tackle position.  This versatility makes Saffold an incredibly valuable addition to this young and improving offensive line.  Prior to the trade it was expected that Alex Barron would hold down one tackle spot with last year’s #2 overall pick Jason Smith on the opposite side.  Now expect Jason Smith to start at left tackle and Saffold to get the starting nod at the right tackle position.  The addition of Saffold made Barron expendable and allowed the Rams to upgrade their poor linebacking core.

For the Dallas Cowboys this opens up playing time for their 2^nd round pick Sean Lee.  Lee is a linebacker out of Penn State and will now be counted on to contribute right away.  I suspected that the addition of Lee was a pick for the future replacement of aging Keith Brooking.  Now Lee will be asked to play significant snaps in his rookie season.  The addition of Alex Barron adds needed depth along the offensive line and pushes 6^th round pick Sam Young deeper on the depth chart.  It will be a struggle for the offensive tackle out Notre Dame to make the opening day roster.