Perspective is everything for Jon Gaines II as he works back to full strength

GLENDALE — All signs pointed to Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Jon Gaines II having a meaningful role within the trenches following strong training camp where he flashed his versatility as a rookie last year.

But just as he was being penciled in as a guy who could at least provide depth along the interior, the door was slammed shut on his rookie year thanks to a reported torn ACL suffered in the final preseason game.

Instead of getting valuable experience like many others in the 2023 NFL Draft class, Gaines was relegated to the sideline.

The young lineman remained positive, though, using the lessons he picked up watching his father battle through kidney cancer.

“He talked about having perspective of where you’re at and being about your business regardless of the outside circumstances,” Gaines told Arizona Sports on Thursday. “That’s something I take a lot of pride in.”

“He basically fought (kidney cancer) my entire college career,” the lineman added. “He got a transplant in August of my fifth year. That just puts everything into perspective. Yes, I dealt with a major injury last year, but my dad’s a cancer survivor. I saw how he approached every single day and he equipped me with tools for my own life.”

Even with the inspiration of his father, Gaines still faced a long road of recovery since going down on Aug. 26.

But thanks to the medical staff, trainers and teammates, Gaines was able to avoid the PUP list and be an active member of the team to start camp this summer, albeit on a limited basis.

“The whole room was really there for me, but I really want to shoutout (Kelvin Beachum and D.J. Humphries),” Gaines said. “They were really big in my corner. They both talked to me about the injuries they’ve gone through in their career. … They talked about the importance of taking things day by day. Being able to lean on them really helped me.”

“Shoutout everybody in the building,” he added, talking about the Cardinals’ performance staff. “I have so many people to shoutout. Everybody’s been such a big part of the process. They laid out the steps for me to be able to go. I think that helped me take it day by day because they had a great gameplan to get me back on the field.”

Although head coach Jonathan Gannon still put him in the “limited” category entering Day 4 of Cardinals training camp, the second-year pro was much more active in team drills on Sunday.

Not only did he get some looks at left guard with first and second teams, Gaines also got run as a third-team center. It’s a very encouraging sign for the versatile lineman, especially given the competition at LG.

“He’s doing a great job. Our athletic training staff did a great job with him,” Gannon said Wednesday. “He took a little honeymoon with his wife this summer for not long and he was in here every day. They were in here with him, too, every day when I was on vacation soaking up sun.

“Credit to all those people to get him ready to be at this point where he’s not on PUP and he’s not really limited as we get going here.”

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