This morning brought some rare news not related to the St. Louis Rams first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Today, we learned that even though the Rams tendered RFA and former first round pick OT Alex Barron at the first round level, they'll gladly accept a second round pick as compensation should another team be interested in signing him.
The biggest caveat in that is whether or not another team would be willing to sign Barron and surrender a second round pick. It seems highly unlikely. As the original news item suggests, it's not that they expect a taker for the second round pick, it's that they're willing to listen to trade offers. Two questions come to mind:
1. Just what kind of return could the Rams get for Barron? The Eagles gave up a first and fourth rounder for Jason Peters, but Alex Barron is no Jason Peters. Would a third rounder be reasonable? Barron is a former first round pick who can play both OT spots which does make him valuable. Then again, there is that penalty thing, which leads to questions about coaching him. There's probably some team out there that thinks they can get Barron over that hump, but at what cost are they willing to try? A third round pick is probably the highest return to hope for; a fourth round pick is probably the most realistic.
2. If the Rams don't trade Barron, what kind of effect will this have on his relationship with the team and his performance on the field?
I'm all for a trading Barron if it brings a worthwhile return. Devaney does have some leverage here, as the Rams are in no hurry to release Barron since they can keep him (and use him) at a reasonable price. However, they'll have to weigh the offers carefully against who they think they can draft or sign in free agency to replace Barron. Losing Barron and having to start Adam Goldberg at RT probably hurts more than it helps.