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E.J. Gaines, Trumaine Johnson jockeying for starting corner job
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ine-johnson-jockeying-for-starting-corner-job
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- With the St. Louis Rams set to open training camp at the end of the month, we'll spend the rest of this week taking a look at four of the position battles worth watching as camp approaches.
The Rams report for training camp on July 29.
The position: Cornerback
The contenders: E.J. Gaines, Trumaine Johnson
Outlook: Just a year ago, Gaines was a sixth-round pick with sleeper potential who was working diligently just to make the roster. Then starting cornerbacks Johnson and Janoris Jenkins suffered injuries in the preseason and Gaines suddenly found himself getting work with the first team. By the time all was said and done, Gaines started 15 games and emerged as one of the league's biggest rookie surprises. Along the way, Gaines played 899 snaps with 70 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. He started games on the outside opposite Jenkins and later moved into the nickel role when Lamarcus Joyner suffered an injury and Johnson returned from his. Johnson, meanwhile, played in nine games with five starts. He managed 36 tackles and three interceptions when healthy but has had a series of stops and starts in his three years with the team. Now, Johnson enters a contract year along with Jenkins while Gaines looks to be entering his prime after a promising debut season.
Projection: The Rams have an interesting decision to make here because there's a trickle down effect that figures to come into play. If Gaines wins the job on the outside, the team would then have to decide between moving Gaines inside in the nickel with Johnson outside or leaving Gaines on the outside with Joyner in the slot. So it's still quite possible that both players could be on the field together regularly. It seems unlikely the Rams will keep both Jenkins and Johnson on long-term deals after this season and Jenkins would be their firm choice if they had to decide right now which means the team might find the better option to plan for the long term by opting for the younger choices in the short term. So the guess here is that Gaines wins the job opposite Jenkins with Joyner in the slot and Johnson and Marcus Roberson serving as the primary depth.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ine-johnson-jockeying-for-starting-corner-job
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- With the St. Louis Rams set to open training camp at the end of the month, we'll spend the rest of this week taking a look at four of the position battles worth watching as camp approaches.
The Rams report for training camp on July 29.
The position: Cornerback
The contenders: E.J. Gaines, Trumaine Johnson
Outlook: Just a year ago, Gaines was a sixth-round pick with sleeper potential who was working diligently just to make the roster. Then starting cornerbacks Johnson and Janoris Jenkins suffered injuries in the preseason and Gaines suddenly found himself getting work with the first team. By the time all was said and done, Gaines started 15 games and emerged as one of the league's biggest rookie surprises. Along the way, Gaines played 899 snaps with 70 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. He started games on the outside opposite Jenkins and later moved into the nickel role when Lamarcus Joyner suffered an injury and Johnson returned from his. Johnson, meanwhile, played in nine games with five starts. He managed 36 tackles and three interceptions when healthy but has had a series of stops and starts in his three years with the team. Now, Johnson enters a contract year along with Jenkins while Gaines looks to be entering his prime after a promising debut season.
Projection: The Rams have an interesting decision to make here because there's a trickle down effect that figures to come into play. If Gaines wins the job on the outside, the team would then have to decide between moving Gaines inside in the nickel with Johnson outside or leaving Gaines on the outside with Joyner in the slot. So it's still quite possible that both players could be on the field together regularly. It seems unlikely the Rams will keep both Jenkins and Johnson on long-term deals after this season and Jenkins would be their firm choice if they had to decide right now which means the team might find the better option to plan for the long term by opting for the younger choices in the short term. So the guess here is that Gaines wins the job opposite Jenkins with Joyner in the slot and Johnson and Marcus Roberson serving as the primary depth.
