I had long heard rumors that the St. Louis Rams were shopping OT Alex Barron, so I wasn’t surprised when I heard a tangible report that he might be dealt soon. What did surprise was the apparent asking price, of LB Bobby Carpenter, and the fact that no team could beat that offer, including my very own Washington Redskins.

Now I don’t think Alex Barron is the next Orlando Pace by any stretch of the imagination. But on the Washington Redskins, his presence in the starting line-up over Stephon Heyer would make it seem like Skins traded for Olando Pace (Pace in his prime, not now). Barron is a slightly above average tackle, but actually has an even better skill set. He is a notorious penalty machine, who led the league last year in false starts. While the number of penalties is excessive, his talent could make him a good starting tackle. He is known as a pretty good pass blocker (pretty important since the Skins gave up about 50 sacks last year), who is a decent run blocker as well. The mental aspect is the only thing holding Barron back, and although he may never reach his full potential, he would be an upgrade at one of the tackle spots for 10-12 teams in the league. While Barron struggled some last season at left tackle he showed that he can at least handle that position (which could be important if Trent Williams needs some development time at RT). Barron is a very athletic tackle who should project well into Coach Shannahan’s zone blocking philosophy.

Barron might not be a star, but the Redskins have likely missed their chances of adding a top tier tackle like Jared Gaither or Jammal Brown. Also their asking prices if they are still available will likely be too high, since the Skins can’t afford to keep trading away future picks. Barron would be a solid bookend, who as a restricted free agent wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg (or a mega extension like Gaither or Brown), just $2.7 million this next season. Adding Barron would give the Skins at least a chance of keeping Donovan McNabb upright and healthy this season. And they could use the year to see if Barron is worth extending or if a young tackle like 7th rounder Selvish Capers could become a starter.

The main reason I like Barron is his asking price. Bobby Carpenter like Barron was at one point a 1st round pick. The difference is while Barron is considered a disappointment because he never amounted to an elite tackle and is just instead an average starter, Carpenter on the other hand can’t even get on the field. He is a special teamer/back-up who has not shown all that much when he has been on the field for an extended period of time. Carpenter still has some potential and could very well crack the Rams weak starting linebackers, but he is far from a surefire starter. Carpenter is also in the last year of his deal so it is not like the Rams would be getting any real long term benefit out of this trade.

If Barron = Carpenter, couldn’t the Redskins have offered one of their restricted free agents like LB Rocky McIntosh or CB Carlos Rodgers and gotten Barron+ in the deal? Or even offer a lesser player for Barron straight up. Even after the addition of Trent Williams, offensive tackle remains one of the Skins biggest weaknesses (actually the whole line in general), adding Barron would have been a major upgrade over Stephon Heyer, and is a player that is young enough and injury free that he could be the long term solution if his play improves.

While this trade isn’t official yet, it looks as though once again the Redskins will remain on the sidelines and go with their incumbents along the offensive line (for those who disagree Williams and Artis Hicks don’t even equal a healthy Samuels and Randy Thomas). And while i’m not trying to build Barron up as the end all be all savior for this team, the price was definitely right in this deal. I think this will be a missed opportunity, that is even made worse if Barron ends up helping to solve the Cowboys offensive line issues.