St. Louis Rams' O-line looks stronger as Rodger Saffold returns to practice

St. Louis Rams left tackle Rodger Saffold participated in team drills for the first time since injuring his right knee in Week 2.

St. Louis Rams' new offensive line begins to take shape—finally

The St. Louis Rams' new-look offensive line has been sidelined for most of the season with injuries. Now Rodger Saffold and Scott Wells look close to actually playing together.

Rodger Saffold injury update: St. Louis Rams tackle could return after bye week

Saffold won't be back this week, but could return after the Rams' bye next week.

Rodger Saffold Injury Might Also Be Called An MCL Tear, Apparently

Rodger Saffold Injury: Rams OT Has MCL Sprain

St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Rodger Saffold has a third-degree MCL sprain, according to Tony Softli of Rams Radio Network. The timeline for his return was not immediately clear.

Saffold suffered the left kneee injury during the second possession of Sunday's win over the Washington Redskins and was not able to return, after attempting to run the ball following a Sam Bradford fumble when he was injured. Wayne Hunter, a nine-year veteran, took Saffold's spot on the Rams offensive line.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher stated that Saffold's injury is not season-ending.

This is the second injury for Saffold in as many weeks, after he suffered a sprained neck in the first game of the season against the Detroit Lions and had to be carted off the field. He returned to practice on Wednesday before the game against Washington.

For more on Saffold's injury and all your Rams news, check out Turf Show Times.

Rodger Saffold Injury: Rams Tackle Injures Left Knee, Will Not Return

St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Rodger Saffold was knocked out of his team's game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday with a left knee injury. Saffold was injured on the Rams' second possession and will not return.

Saffold was injured in the first quarter after a Sam Bradford fumble. Saffold recovered and carried the ball seven yards before being tackled. The third-year player out of Indiana crumpled to the turf and had to be helped off the field. It was unclear whether or not he would be able to return, and Saffold has since been ruled out for the remainder of the game. Wayne Hunter, a nine-year veteran, took Saffold's place on the Rams' line.

This marks the second consecutive week that Saffold has been forced out of action due to injury. Last week against the Detroit Lions, he had to be carted off and taken to a hospital after suffering a sprained neck. He returned to practice on Wednesday and was activated prior to Sunday's game.

For more on Saffold's injury and all your Rams news, check out Turf Show Times.

Rodger Saffold Injury Leaves St. Louis Rams' Offensive Line (Theoretically) Questionable

Rodger Saffold Injury: Rams LT Questionable Vs. Redskins

The St. Louis Rams have listed left tackle Rodger Saffold as "questionable" heading into Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, according to STLToday.com.

Saffold suffered a strained neck in last week's game against the Detroit Lions when he became entangled with safety John Wending and fell awkwardly. The tackle was carted off the field for precautionary reasons but reported movement in his arms and legs shortly afterward. A CT scan revealed he had a strained neck.

Sam Bradford was sacked four times in the loss to the Lions and that concern will be prevalent once again against the Redskins. The Rams quarterback was sacked seven times in last season's game against Washington, a 17-10 loss in the fourth week of the season.

The Rams face the Redskins this Sunday in the first home game of the season for St. Louis, with optimism building after a good performance by Jeff Fisher's team on the road against Detroit in the season opener.

For more news and information on the Rams, read Turf Show Times. For the latest on the Redskins, check out Hogs Haven. For everything NFL-related, check out SB Nation's NFL Hub.

Rams Injury Report: Rodger Saffold Returns To Practice

St. Louis Rams left tackle Rodger Saffold returned to practice on Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of the Rams' official website, just three days after suffering a neck strain that looked like it could have turned into something much worse.

Saffold was injured during the fourth quarter of the Rams' season-opening 27-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. He was placed on a backboard and carted off the field before spending the night in a Detroit hospital. However, Saffold maintained feeling in his extremities throughout the process and was moving around normally upon leaving the hospital.

While his participation was limited, Saffold's return to the practice field was a tremendously positive sight for the Rams. Saffold won't play in the Rams' Week 2 matchup with the Washington Redskins on Sunday, as he has yet to regain full range of motion, according to Wagoner. Backup tackle Wayne Hunter, who replaced Saffold after the injury, will likely get the start in his stead.

For more on the Rams, be sure to visit Turf Show Times.

Rodger Saffold Injury Complicates Sam Bradford's Development, St. Louis Rams' Passing Game

The St. Louis Rams have not had a good offensive line at any point in 2012, even before that gruesome Rodger Saffold injury. They haven't had one before they traded Jason Smith for the seemingly even-worse Wayne Hunter; they didn't have one before they realized Scott Wells would spend a month and a half on the injured reserve. And they most certainly do not have one after that gruesome Rodger Saffold injury.

Now we know that Saffold's injury isn't as bad as first feared; he's moving, for one thing, and he could return this season, although the Rams aren't exactly certain about that yet. But this certainly complicates the Rams' offensive development this year—specifically as it relates to Sam Bradford, their shellshocked third-year quarterback.

Bradford actually played his best football, last Sunday, after Saffold and Wells were both knocked out. But if the Rams were hoping to give him more time in the pocket than he's had over the last few years, losing two of their most important linemen for big chunks of the season could force them to simplify their playbook.

Rodger Saffold Injury: X-Rays On Rams OT Reportedly Come Back Negative

Rodger Saffold had a gruesome-looking neck injury during the Rams' loss to the Lions, but the early prognosis looks much better.

On #Rams T Rodger Saffold: Source says Xrays were negative, had precautionary MRI, will stay overnight at hospital. Likely neck sprain #whew

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2012

Obviously, this is great news for both Saffold and the Rams. Anytime a player goes down with a head or neck injury, there is a fear of the worst. But right now, it appears that Saffold didn't suffer anything too serious.

Saffold went down in the fourth quarter on a play that happened to give St. Louis its first offensive touchdown of the game. Sam Bradford completed a pass to Brandon Gibson, and while it was unclear exactly what happened during the play, Saffold remained down and could not leave the field under his own power. He was carted off, and later reports stated that he had feelings in his extremities.

We'll have any updates to this story as they come.

Rodger Saffold Injury: St. Louis Rams OT Removed From Field After Apparent Neck Injury

The St. Louis Rams scored their first offensive touchdown of the afternoon on a beautiful fourth-quarter pass from Sam Bradford to Brandon Gibson, but that could be less important than what happened at the same time—the Rams appeared to lose OT Rodger Saffold to a neck injury on this bizarre play:

Nobody's sure yet as to quite what happened, but Saffold did not leave the field under his own power—he was put on a cart and taken off, delaying the point-after. We'll be sure to update this story as we know more, but right now it seems like the Rams have lost their second offensive lineman of the day, after free-agent center Scott Wells left early with a foot injury.

It is, of course, always worth noting at this point that football teams are less likely than ever to take head and neck injuries lightly—as worrying as the immediate aftermath of this play looked, it could just be that the Rams are being cautious with Saffold, as they would with any player who suffered something like this.

Update: Early reports suggest Saffold suffered a neck injury, but has feeling in his extremities. So far it seems like good news out of the Rams locker room.