EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Among the many injuries the St. Louis Rams suffered on defense in 2015, the one that might have been most forgotten is the season-ending foot injury to cornerback E.J. Gaines early in training camp.
If nothing else, Gaines' injury was the furthest removed from the mind and eventually buried under a pile of ailments to key players like ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long, linebacker Alec Ogletree and safety T.J. McDonald with only Long not landing on injured reserve.
The injury, a freak incident in which receiver Kenny Britt stepped on him during one-on-one drills, didn't feel like a serious one to Gaines when it first happened. When well-known foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson diagnosed a Lisfranc injury that would require season-ending surgery, Gaines was surprised.
“It was tough," Gaines said last week. "You want to be out there with your brothers but it’s football. Injuries happen. I’m just excited to get back for next season. I can’t wait. I’m excited for the football team and the coaches are excited to get me back as well.”
The lost season was undoubtedly a disappointment for Gaines and the Rams. St. Louis used a sixth-round pick on Gaines in the 2014 NFL draft and emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of his draft class. He started 15 games as a rookie, playing inside and out and posting two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 70 tackles and eight pass breakups.
Gaines entered training camp as the favorite to win a competition for the starting job against Trumaine Johnson. But that competition never materialized after Gaines' injury as Johnson went on to his best NFL season. Gaines spent most of the season waiting to get his rehabilitation going, shuttling back and forth between St. Louis and Kansas City.
When Gaines spoke to assembled media last week, it was the first time he'd done so since suffering the injury.
“My guys, the DBs, were definitely there for me,” Gaines said. “I was getting texts from Trumaine and [safety] Maurice Alexander all the time. They helped keep me in the loop as much as possible.”
Now, Gaines is moving closer to a return and estimated that he'll be ready to go in time for at least some of the Rams' offseason program.
“It’s going well,” Gaines said. “I’ve had a couple of surgeries to get screws in and out, but everything’s going good. I just got my stitches and screws out a couple of weeks ago, so I’m just kind of getting back, just now starting to do a little jogging and running. ... But I definitely expect to be ready to go for OTAs.”