EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams tight end/defensive lineman Mason Brodine was working to make the team's 53-man roster in a unique role.
Brodine switched from defensive end to tight end in the offseason but was doing a bit of both during this season's training camp. He'd hoped that versatility would give him a shot to make the roster after spending most of the past two seasons on the practice squad.
Those hopes were dashed in Friday night's preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints when Brodine suffered a fractured ankle in the first half. He's scheduled for surgery on Tuesday and his season is over before it ever really got started.
"It’s very unfortunate," coach Jeff Fisher said. "We switched Mason over to tight end early in the offseason and [he] did just a tremendous job, working him under the offense. He had a chance to help us and be a swing player for us. It was really a perfect scenario for him, so we lost him to a fractured ankle."
Brodine was not a sure thing to make the roster but he was at least doing something different than the rest of the roster. In practices, he appeared to be a willing blocker at his new position even though he had plenty of work to do as a pass-catcher. The 6-foot-7, 284-pounder spent all 16 games of the 2013 season on the practice squad and 13 games in the same role in 2012.
"I feel bad for Mason because Mason’s worked hard over the last couple years," Fisher said. "It’s just a very unfortunate part of this game. But he’ll heal up. He’ll be in good hands with Dr. [Matt] Matava. He’ll heal up”
According to Fisher, the Rams had no other serious injuries of note Friday night.
