St. Louis Rams Get a Steal With Mark Barron Trade

By RantSports Staff on October 28, 2014

Heading into the final 12 hours before the 2014 NFL trade deadline, there was word spreading that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shopping strong safety Mark Barron.

Well, it appears they were more than rumors, as the former first-round pick was shipped to the St. Louis Rams right before the 4pm ET deadline.

In exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Rams acquired Barron from the Buccaneers, a team desperate to unload pieces for picks. While Barron is far from a solve-all for the St. Louis defense, he was a steal considering the price.

Barron, a third-year safety out of Alabama, looked ready to usher in a new era at the position when he was initially drafted by the Buccaneers. Although his rookie season had its fair share of bumps, the big, powerful safety looked like an up-and-coming talent. Unfortunately, the development hasn’t quite happened yet.

With the Rams, though, Barron gets a fresh start with a new team under Gregg Williams, one of the better defensive coordinators in the league. He’ll step in and start almost immediately, with St. Louis eager to replace T.J. McDonald in the starting lineup. If he can learn how to play with some consistency and cut down on errors in coverage, there’s no reason to believe Barron can’t become a reliable strong safety for the Rams.

Considering what they gave up to get him, the Rams made out like bandits in this trade. They get a young safety with the potential to blossom into one of the NFL’s best, while only parting with a couple of Day 3 picks.

Definitely some better action than we saw with last year’s NFL trade deadline.