Rams Notes: Intriguing receiver Nelson Spruce returns to practice

Rams Notes: Intriguing receiver Nelson Spruce returns to practice

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

[www.ocregister.com]

THOUSAND OAKS – Five weeks after his dynamic, fleeting moment in the preseason, one that helped him stick in the NFL, Rams receiver Nelson Spruce returned to the field Tuesday afternoon.

Spruce became something of a folk hero that night last month, when he caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown against Dallas in the team’s preseason opener. He also sustained a knee injury, one that made him sweat out the rest of training camp from the sideline while the Rams decided on their season-opening 53-man roster.

Spruce made the final cut, on the strength not only of that single preseason game but the work he did in OTA practices. Now, the Rams are close to finding out if Spruce can sustain his summer success.

In Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran, Spruce went through drills and looked normal, other than a sleeve on his leg. It’s not yet known whether Spruce will be able to play Sunday at Tampa Bay. Spruce said the initial estimate for his return was 4-6 weeks, and he’s almost there.

“Based on the timeline they gave me and how my knee is feeling, I think I’m getting pretty close,” Spruce said.

There’s no assurance that Spruce, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Colorado, will help boost a Rams offense that has yet to score a touchdown, but he can’t hurt. The Rams also Tuesday regained receiver Pharoh Cooper, who missed the initial two regular-season games because of a shoulder injury.

Spruce is intriguing, though. He likely went undrafted because of his slight build – he’s listed, seemingly generously, at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds – but Spruce is the Pac-12 Conference’s all-time leader in receptions and is known for his fearless mentality and making catches in tough areas.

“Whatever system I’m a part of, I think I can fit in,” Spruce said. “I’m think I’m pretty quarterback-friendly and I have sure hands.”

It will be interesting to track the Rams’ choices at receiver. They kept seven on their 53-man roster – a larger number than usual – in part because they knew Spruce and Cooper would return early in the season.

Still, Spruce had to sweat out the final weeks of training camp. It’s highly unusual for an undrafted rookie to play less than one half of one preseason game and make an NFL roster, but Spruce pulled it off.

“It just felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Spruce said. “To that point, I was just sitting back and waiting and watching. Once we called that (season-opening) team meeting with the 53 guys and I was one of them, it was just a huge weight lifted off me.”

WALKING WOUNDED
Cornerback E.J. Gaines, unable to consistently stay healthy since the start of training camp, also returned to practice Tuesday. He missed the first two weeks of the season with a thigh injury.

“I don’t think I can put it into words,” Gaines said. “I’m just excited to get on the field.”

Expected to contend for – and probably win – the starting cornerback job opposite Trumaine Johnson, Gaines started camp still recovering from the foot injury that sidelined him for all of last season.

Gaines returned, then hurt his hamstring, then suffered a minor ankle injury, then hurt his thigh in the Rams’ third preseason game.

The Rams have struggled to fill that cornerback spot. Coty Sensabaugh started Sunday against Seattle but struggled, and Troy Hill played most of the second half.

Gaines hasn’t played much football since the end of the 2014 season, but Coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that once Gaines is healthy, he would likely take over that cornerback spot.

“He hasn’t told me that yet,” Gaines said with a laugh. “I just think that the coaches have a lot of respect for me and they can’t wait for me to get back, just like I can’t wait to get back.”

Nickel cornerback Lamarcus Joyner is expected to play against Tampa Bay, even though he’s dealing with a broken toe. Joyner said he suffered the injury during the Sept. 12 opener at San Francisco but didn’t tell trainers he was hurt until after that game.

“I didn’t want to say anything because I knew the defense was depending on me,” Joyner said.

Joyner not only played while gimpy, but performed well. He recorded seven tackles against the 49ers and five against the Seahawks.