By Cedric Williams
(Credit, David Welker/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Rams got more bad injury news along its offensive line on Monday, as the club found out that center Scott Wells, who left Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers late in the first half with a leg injury, is probably done for the season after an MRI showed he has a fractured left fibula.
Wells, 32, is in his second season with the Rams and had started all 12 previous games for the club, after missing nine games with a foot injury last season.
The injury does not require surgery to heal, but with the recovery timetable of four-to-six weeks means Wells will almost certainly not play again for the Rams this season.
“We’re still evaluating,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said during his regular Monday press conference at Rams Park. “It’s very similar to (safety T.J. McDonald’s injury), non-displaced. So we’re kind of evaluating what we’re going to do with the roster.”
Wells joins right guard Harvey Dahl as Rams linemen that are out right now. Dahl has not played since St. Louis Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 28.
The veteran guard and emotional team leader has a torn MCL and like Wells, might not play again this season.
Tackles Jake Long and Rodger Saffold have also missed time along the line this year with different ailments, including a head injury suffered by Long last week, which might keep him from playing for the Rams this week.
The team didn’t give many details about Long’s injury, but Fisher did say that Long must undergo concussion protocol this week and will have to pass certain tests to even be eligible to play on Sunday, when the Rams travel to the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals.
“He felt pretty good today,” Fisher said.
With Wells out, University of Missouri product Tim Barnes played the entire second half at center for St. Louis, and will likely make his first start as a pro Sunday in Arizona.
“(Tim) played pretty well,’’ Fisher said. “He’s a pro, he prepares. He gets a minimal amount of reps on the practice field and he played well with Scott being down.”
The Wells injury also will likely mean rookie Barrett Jones, a fourth-round draft pick by the Rams this past spring out of Alabama, will probably be active for the first time in his career.
Jones was inactive for the first 12 games this season, but will likely serve as Barnes backup this weekend.
Rams Game On December 15 Against New Orleans Saints Moved Back To 3:25 p.m.
The NFL announced Tuesday morning that the Rams home matchup against the New Orleans Saints on December 15 has been moved back to a 3:25 p.m. kickoff, instead of the originally scheduled noon start time.
This game was among several being considered for the Sunday Night Football flex time start at 7:25 p.m. on NBC, but the league has instead chosen the AFC North showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers to be that week’s feature game of the week.
Moving the Rams-Saints game back though, will allow for a larger audience to see that matchup, as part of FOX’s doubleheader NFL coverage that day.
For more Rams news and updates, visit Rams Central.
Cedric Williams, a lifelong St. Louisan and proud UMSL alum, has been a freelance reporter/photographer covering St. Louis area sports for nearly two decades. Most recently, he has been working as a credentialed beat writer covering the Rams and small-school college sports for Examiner.com and other outlets from around the area. Please share any comments, questions, or feedback with Cedric at cedricwilliams510@gmail.com. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
