LA Rams make a move, tender exclusive rights on Mundt and Shelton

The LA Rams tender minimal qualifying offers to tender exclusive rights for TE Johnny Mundt and C Coleman Shelton

The LA Rams finally made a move in the 2020 NFL Free Agency market. Technically, the Rams have made two moves, tendering minimal qualifying offers to TE Johnny Mundt and C Coleman Shelton respectively.  The moves may seem like very minor events to many, but both players are critical for the Rams 2020 season.

But lest I get ahead of myself (which is easy to do right about now, as I’ve been writing and editing pretty much non-stop for the past 48 hours), the Rams have a number of decisions to make regarding their restricted and exclusive restricted free agents for 2020.   This announcement addresses the future of two such players.

The Rams have until 1:00 pm PT to decide and file the necessary paperwork on eight such players. The players include both Mundt and Shelton, OLB Josh Carraway, DE Morgan Fox, DB Donte Deayon, and a team option year on CB Nickell Robey-Coleman.  The Rams had already decided to part ways with WR Jojo Natson. So today’s announcement should be the first of several such notices from the Rams today or at the latest early tomorrow.

The news is minor to many but has significant implications for the team this year. With the Rams watching so many defensive players moving to new teams, the offense needs to be ready to go with minimal help from the 2020 NFL Draft.  That can happen now. How so?

Tight end formations

For starters, the LA Rams are reformulating the offense in ways to make it more efficient in 2020.  After the Rams fell flat-footed to unanticipated offensive line struggles last season, the teams must certainly do a much better job this year of planning to emphasize better blocking from the start of the season.

Of course, with almost no opportunity to upgrade the team via free agency, and hopes to add depth via the 2020 NFL Draft as the only realistic approach, improvements are dependant upon the scheme.  The scheme will deliver some improvement, but even the best plays depend on the right type of player.  Tight end Johnny Mundt is that type of player.

Mundt has exceptional blocking skills for a tight-end. While that alone does not guarantee a roster spot on a team, it most certainly does for this Rams roster. This team will be running plenty of two tight-end sets early in the season, just to get the offensive line and more importantly, quarterback Jared Goff, comfortable out of the gates.

Of course, the Rams have other strategies to get the running game back on track for 2020.  We’ve concluded that the team will likely add a fullback this year. And the offensive line, the weak link for the team in 2019, may very likely be a strength for the team in 2020.  How so?  Well, getting healthy at the center is a good start.

Lone healthy center

The Rams need to bolster the offensive line but at no position more so than at the center.  When I watch videos of 2019, it’s almost enough to make a fan squeamish to witness the missed assignments up the middle of the offensive. Missing stunts, double-teaming to the wrong side, and even when engaging a defender, the results were inconsistent.

Then players fell to injury.  Center Brian Allen was lost for the year to injured-reserve. Austin Blythe came off injury to take over but as an unrestricted free agent. So the Rams need to add a player capable of filling the starter role for 2020.

Coleman Shelton is more than “that guy signed as duct tape for the 2019 offensive line”.  He was a physical athletic center when he played for the University of Washington Huskies in 2017.  He signed on with both NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams picked him up as the team continued to lose starting offensive linemen to injury last year.

I had the opportunity to cover Shelton’s entrance into the NFL via the 2018 NFL Draft.  Even several years ago, he was a perfect fit for the LA Rams.  Now, two years later, he has had the opportunity to train and practice with NFL teams, all the while becoming more capable and familiar with play at the NFL level.

Shelton is what the Rams need at the center of the 2020  offensive line. He is a mean spirited road grader, who can penetrate into the secondary to generate multiple key blocks in a single running play. He also is a natural center, used to look over the defense and adjusting blocking assignments to meet the defense.  Yes, he is an ERFA. But on the Rams 2020 roster, that could mean ready to start for the team.  In this case, he can.