LA Rams surplus of riches thanks to these 6 rising offensive stars

Offensive lineman

The LA Rams have danced around the search for a suitable offensive center so far, and in doing so have squandered all of the surplus time necessary to prepare backup center Coleman Shelton for a starting role.  You know, sometimes you simply can’t see the forest for the trees, and I’m of the belief that is why all the coaching staff concocted such elaborate plans and schemes to address the offensive center position without ever giving Shelton a legitimate shot at the job.

Right now, he is in a solid backup center role and could be promoted after the NFL season starts. But for now, the best we can hope for is that he remains Steady-Freddie at his position, and stays healthy. I’ve tracked him in both of the two preseason games so far, and he is legit. He handles his business calling out blocking priorities, he sets up a rigid wall against pass rushers, and he bulldozers rushing lands to be clear yards downfield.

That’s about as good as it can get, particularly if you are an offensive lineman in a preseason game. Let’s face it, you aren’t going to carry the football, catch the football, or even throw the football. All you can do is block. And that is exactly what Coleman Shelton has done.

Somewhere in the formulating of options for the offensive line, the Rams slipped on a banana peel this year. Even as the coaching staff all nodded their bobbleheads in accepting Austin Corbett at the center and Bobby Evans at right guard, there was no willingness to rotate players into those roles just in case the no-pads decision failed to hold after the pads went on. Well, the pads went on, and the coaching staff scrambled to adjust. I believe that Coleman Shelton could eventually start and solidify the LA Rams offensive line this year.