Lions Trade Ronald Curry to Rams for Orien Harris

A little more than a week before the start of training camp, the Rams ensured that they'd have a wide receiver whose name isn't meant with blank stares. St. Louis dealt defensive tackle Orien Harris to the Lions on Wednesday for Ronald Curry, a rare swap of two players who have never played a regular-season snap for the team that traded them.

Curry should slot in alongside Donnie Avery in the Rams' starting offense, which is a lot better situation than the one he left in Detroit. The Lions signed him in April, but he became an unneeded part after the team dealt for Dennis Northcutt in late June.

Curry shouldn't have any such trouble with St. Louis. His size -- 6-2, 210 pounds -- and experience make him stand out among the small and young receiving crew already on the roster. With a suspect offensive line, Marc Bulger is going to need people who can catch short passes and make something of them.

Curry isn't anyone's idea of an elite receiver, but he can do that. He's had at least 50 catches in three different seasons, although his 19 catches in 2008 does make his upside somewhat suspect. At any rate, expect a lot of balls to head in his direction this season.

Harris is in a similar boat. He was behind several players on the Rams' depth chart, and obviously never showed the team enough after coming over in a May trade for running back Brian Leonard. With the Lions, however, he'll enter a wide-open competition for playing time, which will only grow if Grady Jackson is slow to return from knee surgery or suspended as a result of a positive drug test he says was triggered by the controversial StarCaps supplement.