The Sports Xchange

It has been 13 days since St. Louis Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines had his foot stepped on during the third day of training camp. Very little information was communicated, but there was a sense of foreboding when Gaines visited noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., shortly after the injury occurred.

Still, there was no news on Gaines until Saturday, the day after the team’s preseason-opening 18-3 loss to the Oakland Raiders, when it was revealed that he had undergone surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury and would miss the entire season.

It’s a blow for a Rams secondary that appeared to have depth when camp opened. Gaines became a starter last season when Trumaine Johnson suffered a knee injury in the same Aug. 23 preseason game in which then-quarterback Sam Bradford tore his ACL for the second straight season.

Gaines remained a starter when Johnson returned, but the latter looks to be the starter again opposite Janoris Jenkins. Johnson had an interception in the game against the Raiders.

Gaines was a sixth-round pick last season and was named to the All-Rookie team voted on by the Pro Football Writers of America.

A team source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “It’s a tough break. But the team will roll on. He’ll be 100 percent when he comes back. We’ll keep him busy and keep him occupied during his rehab.”

While the starting spots look to be in good hands, the competition will ramp up for the third cornerback job between Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Roberson, who has grown since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent last year. Joyner was a second-round pick in 2014.

The Rams continue to get little from cornerback Brandon McGee, a fifth-round pick in 2013 who still hasn’t recovered from a foot injury that cost him 14 games last season. McGee has yet to practice in training camp, which now switches to Oxnard, Calif., where the Rams will practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday and Tuesday and then practice there by themselves on Wednesday.

NOTES: The Rams did get good news on starting LG Rodger Saffold and LB Daren Bates. Saffold, who underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, was injured on the team’s fourth offensive snap against the Raiders. It is considered minor and was to the shoulder that did not go under the knife. Bates, one of the team’s top special teams players, injured a knee against Oakland and was on crutches after the game, but it was diagnosed as a sprained MCL that likely will keep him out two to four weeks.