Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reports that the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams may be close to swapping former first-round picks Alex Barron and Bobby Carpenter.

According to PFT, there are contractual issues to deal with--both players are signed through 2010 only--but the deal "has a good chance of getting done".

Barron (6-7, 302) has started 74 of 76 games for the Rams since being chosen with the 19th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Barron began his career at right tackle, and moved to the left side when injuries put Orlando Pace on the shelf.

If traded to the Cowboys, Barron would presumably replace Flozell Adams at left tackle. The Cowboys released Adams last month, and did not address the position in the draft. Doug Free, a fourth-year player from Northern Illinois, is currently projected as the starting left tackle opposite right tackle Marc Colombo.

Carpenter has not been able to crack the Cowboys' starting lineup, starting just three times during his four-year career. In 58 career games, Carpenter has posted 96 tackles and 3.5 quarterback sacks, with 41 of his tackles coming on special teams.

An inside linebacker for the Cowboys, Carpenter could compete for the starting strong-side linebacker job next to fellow former Ohio State Buckeye James Laurinaitis, who led the Rams with 121 tackles as a rookie last season.

Coming out of Ohio State, Carpenter felt more comfortable playing outside linebacker.

"I probably feel that I'm best on the edge," Carpenter said at the 2006 Combine. "I can play inside. I enjoy it, but I enjoy playing on the edge a lot more now."

The Rams signed veteran outside linebacker Na'il Diggs to a one-year deal last month.