Carpenter Gets Fresh Start In St. Louis

After being drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, Bobby Carpenter spent four years laboring under the always-cumbersome "bust" label. Despite experiencing some moderate success as a nickel linebacker in 2009, Carpenter never really fit in the Cowboys' 3-4 defense.

His exit from Dallas, which was finalized yesterday in the form of a trade for St. Louis tackle Alex Barron, was foreshadowed by the team's selection of Penn State ILB Sean Lee in last month's draft.

Lee and 2009 third round pick Jason Williams are the most likely candidates to replace Carpenter in 2010 as the team's nickel linebacker.

As for Carpenter, he says leaving Dallas will be tough, on a personal level; but on a professional level, he embraces the fresh start in St. Louis, where he figures to start at weakside linebacker under head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

"This is a great opportunity for me, but it's going to be tough to leave the guys on the team and leave the city," Carpenter said, per the Dallas Morning News. "We've put down roots here, but this is an opportunity to have more of a chance to prove myself as a player."

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