OXNARD >> When viewed from the camera tower rising high above the Rams practice field on Wednesday, the sight of E.J. Gaines standing on the sideline wearing a helmet, shoulder pads and cleats on the second day of Organized Team Activity workouts represents significant progress for the Rams and their third-year cornerback.

In the big-picture lens, a healthy, dressed, active Gaines is a hugely positive development considering he missed all of last season after undergoing surgery to repair the metatarsal bones in his foot that he injured during training camp.

Even more so with the loss of starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who left the Rams last March for the New York Giants as a free agent. Gaines is being counted on to fill the gaping hole left by Jenkins, so getting cleared to participate in OTAs is a big thing indeed.

“It’s definitely nice to see him out here,” Rams general manager Les Snead said.

The perspective was quite a bit different at ground zero, though.

Gaines was so close to the action on the field he could almost reach out and touch it. But that was the extent of his participation during the 11-on-11 phase of practice. Given the type of injury involved, the Rams are being extra cautious right now. And while Gaines is green-lighted for individual and positional drill work and just about every other aspect of off-season workouts, once the real fun begins he gets wrapped back up in the protective bubble suit.

Which is about as frustrating as sitting through a steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House with your jaw wired shut.

“It’s hard (standing on the sideline) and seeing everybody out going 100 percent and flying around out there,” Gaines said.

He gets the concept, of course. No sense overdoing it at this point when so much is riding on his surgically repaired foot carrying him through a 16-week season. The practical side of him listens to the training staff and is completely on board with tiptoeing back into the thick of things rather than barreling toward it like a Mike linebacker on a C-gap blitz.

“It’s the prudent thing to do,” Snead said.

Or, as Gaines put it: “They’re just trying not to throw me into the fire. Just trying to reel me back in slow.”

So yeah, he gets it.

It’s just that, well, this is a guy who at this point last year was expected to battle Trumaine Johnson for the starting job opposite Jenkins after finishing with 105 tackles, a team-high 14 pass breakups and four forced turnovers as a rookie in 2014.

Only for it to be taken away from him in the blink of an eye when injury struck.

The ball player in Gaines had fought through more bumps and bruises than he can count over the years, but this was different.

“It was the first time I’d ever really been hurt,” he said.

For a deeply competitive player who rose from a lowly sixth-round pick to a dependable starter in his first season, it was pure agony having to watch from a distance as the Rams stumbled through a 7-9 season and the opportunity to build off a strong rookie year and make a real name for himself slipped though his fingertips.

“It was really tough,” Gaines said.

As you might imagine, he’s champing at the bit wanting to get back on the field for real.

“I know I love the game of football and I’m passionate about getting back out there,” he said.

All in due time, though.

The Rams will monitor Gaines over the final phase of their offseason workouts, which culminate in two weeks. And if everything checks out, he could get some time in 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 drills before the club shuts down for the month-long break before training camp.

The cornerback group he eventually returns to looks remarkably different than the one injury forced him to vacate. Ironically so, in some cases.

In fact, had you canvassed Rams people this time a year ago you’d have been hard-pressed to predict things would have unfolded as they did.

At this point last year Johnson and Gaines were fighting for the same starting job, Gaines having secured it after replacing an injured Johnson the season before and Johnson intent on taking it back.

Johnson essentially won the job thanks to Gaines’ foot injury, but then he played so well the Rams franchise tagged him in order to retain him. Johnson will make $13.952 million this year, a salary no one could have seriously envisioned for him 12 months ago.

Meanwhile Jenkins is no longer in the picture, having signed a five-year, $62 million contract with the Giants. On the surface it seems like a huge loss, but the Rams knew they had Gaines waiting in the wings to replace Jenkins. So while they reluctantly let Jenkins walk, they did so with a definite sense of confidence.

“I can see how people might not see things the way we do in our building,” Snead said. “But we knew what we had at cornerback.”

Gaines can’t wait to prove them right, even though it still takes some getting used to when he walks into the defensive backfield meeting room.

Besides Jenkins, the Rams also lost starting safety Rodney McLeod as a free agent to the Philadelphia Eagles.

“It’s crazy to see how the room has changed,” Gaines said.

But with change comes opportunity, and in this case Gaines is expected to start alongside Johnson with Lamarcus Joyner as the slot cornerback in the Rams nickel defense and free agent pick-up Coty Sensabaugh providing a veteran presence.

The Rams will monitor the free agent safety market, but for now T.J. McDonald, Maurice Alexander, Christian Bryant and Cody Davis get first dibs on manning the two safety positions.

There are holes to fill for sure, but Gaines is liking what he sees so far from the revamped unit.

“I think the sky is the limit for this secondary. We have so much talent. So much young talent,” he said. “I think we can honestly be the best secondary in the NFL.”

Gaines can’t wait to put action to words.

But all in good time.