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Rams still evaluating guard Rodger Saffold's injured shoulder

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- While the St. Louis Rams got some good news on the injury front with defensive end Chris Long on Monday, they didn't have much information of any kind when it came to right guard Rodger Saffold.

Saffold re-injured the right shoulder that he hurt during the preseason on quarterback Nick Foles' pick-six at the end of the first quarter. That shoulder is not the same as the one that he had surgically repaired in the offseason, though it's clearly an issue for the Rams' most experienced starting offensive lineman.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that Saffold will have more tests to determine the severity of the injury with the Rams having this week off because of the bye.

"Right now he would probably be questionable for Cleveland [on Oct. 25]," Fisher said.

Saffold's continued shoulder issues are cause for concern and it's worth noting that the Oakland Raiders failed him on a physical two years ago because of a shoulder issue. That led to the Raiders backing out of a free-agent contract with him.

Asked if Saffold has naturally "loose" shoulder sockets, Fisher indicated that isn't the case.

“He’s a heavy lifter," Fisher said. "He’s really strong, so I wouldn’t classify it as that. But, unfortunately, sometimes these things happen. Sometimes the shoulder will sublux either direction -- forward or backward. When it usually goes out backward, then there’s some labral tear issues, so that’s what we’re looking at.”

Until Saffold's status is set, the Rams have a handful of options to handle his spot. That would include veteran Garrett Reynolds, who replaced Saffold against the Packers.

"I thought Garrett came in and played well for him," Fisher said. "We’ve got depth there. We’ve got Andrew [Donnal], we’ve got Cody [Wichmann], and so we have a young group, so we’ll just kind of see where that goes as far as Rodger is concerned."

The Rams also have Demetrius Rhaney, who could play guard in a pinch though Saffold's absence would create more of a question of who would step in if there was an injury at tackle. Of course, the Rams are hoping it doesn't come to that.

"We’re hopeful we’ll get good news tomorrow," Fisher said.