Is this LA Rams OC Coleman Shelton’s last chance to earn a starting role?

The LA Rams are looking hard at how to address the offensive center position for the second year in a row. The answer may be as simple as giving starting snaps to offensive center Coleman Shelton.

The collegiate career of former Washington Huskies offensive center Coleman Shelton was filled with accomplishments. The young man dominated, moving the pile forward on running play, holding them out on passing plays. He played so well that he was considered the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12 as recently as July 2017.  At the time? He was the center for the Huskies and lined up on the same offensive front as teammate offensive tackle Trey Adams.

Heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, Shelton projected as a good fit for the LA Rams. Why? Well, Shelton is a big strong lineman who has played multiple positions at the offensive line. He dominated at the offensive center position in the very good Pac-12 football conference. He scored very well in pass blocking but excelled when pulling for the counter-trey running plays that would open up huge running lanes for running backs, Myles Gaskin or Salvon Ahmed.

A year ago, all of this added up to place Shelton squarely in the competition for the offensive center role. Austin Blythe was the starting center, but he was headed for free agency and the Rams didn’t have any more cap space then than they do now. And very very early in 2020, we featured Shelton as a possible next-man-up offensive lineman who could be very good on that Rams offense.

But 2020 happened, or rather all of the chaos over COVID-19 happened. There were few surprises on the LA Rams depth chart from that moment on. Starters stayed starters. Backups stayed backups. The focus for virtually all 32 NFL teams was less about getting the best group of starters onto the football field, and more about getting a group of starters onto the football field.

2020 was the year of redshirting.. For a player whose time is running out, 2020 was a huge blow to his NFL career. After all, the 6-foot-5 285-pound behemoth faces obsolescence at the tender age of 26 years of age. While he did get his share of special teams in 2020, he didn’t get onto the field. That means that the LA Rams never made use of his ability to pull and lead a running back into the hole with a resounding thud against a waiting linebacker or defensive back.

And yet, he’ll be back. The LA Rams tendered the qualifying offer to Coleman Shelton, ensuring his return.

Coleman Shelton can only do what the Rams ask of him. In 2020, he was only asked to play on special teams. Will the LA Rams ask more of him in 2021? Well, it’s now or never. If Shelton does not make a seriously positive impression this year, he could very well be hoping to sign on with another NFL team.

And that may be the outcome here. While it’s tough to believe that the dominating offensive lineman at Washington has forgotten how to play, or simply lost that ‘I’m about to kick someone’s arse!’ attitude when he lines up and places the pre-snap football into his hands. If you’d seen him play then, you are likely seeing the fit now.  No, Coleman Shelton has not broken into the team’s starting lineup yet.  And yes, this is likely the last year he will have that chance.

But he knows the counter trey, a Washington Football team bread-and-butter offensive play. And you can bet LA Rams offensive line coach Kevin Carberry knows it too. Is this destiny? Or is it another missed opportunity for Shelton to make his NFL career gain traction?  If NFL teams have any return to normalcy, keep an eye on Coleman Shelton in the LA Rams training camp. I still like him as a sleeper. With a new offensive line coach, Kevin Carberry may as well.