The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a deal with veteran offensive lineman Alex Barron after they were impressed enough by his tryout to offer him a shot with the team. He joined the Seahawks' offseason program May 15.
Barron was drafted by the Saint Louis Rams in the first round in 2005, as the 19th overall pick.
He played with the Rams until 2009, then Barron was with the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, but only started one game. In 2011, he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints, but was placed on injured reserve in August and released from the team in October. In other words, he's a known quantity with a less-than-money recent history.
Bringing experience to the line
That said, the 6'7'', 320-pound big man can fill a role with the Seahawks offense. He working at left guard on the no. 1 line in camp, and joined the no. 2 line for a 45-minute workout with the veteran Seattle line in the first day of the offseason program. The Seahawks' line is young and was battered by injury last season, so a veteran talent will be a plus, even if he's not playing a lot of minutes.
The day was an even shuffle on the roster, as Seattle picked up Barron and three other players while releasing four. Players getting agreements were cornerback Donny Lisowski, Cooper Helfet, and Andrew Mitchell. Of the three, Mitchell is the only name with NFL experience. He signed with the Bengals in 2010, but a knee injury kept him from playing, and he was out last season as well.
Carroll impressed with Lisowski
"He was all over the place out here," Carroll said after the mini-camp. "I had no (idea), other than he ran extremely fast when he showed up for a workout day. And then he went out there and made a bunch of plays. So I was really fired up about him."
This time of year, names come into the fold and leave, and only time will tell if any of those three are still on the roster come opening day. To make room, the Seahawks released offensive lineman Brent Osborne, linebacker Adrian Moten, cornerback London Durham, and tackle Jon Opperud.
I'm sure it has something to do with how everything had to be thrown together at the last minute in 2011, but even taking that into consideration, things seem to be on a much better path so far this season. Let's hope that perception turns into a winning season.
Jeff Musall has been a fan of the Seattle Seahawks since he was a kid living in a little Idaho town in the late '70s, and enjoying the team's ups and downs.
