3 reasons why Rams had to re-sign Coleman Shelton

The LA Rams' free agency efforts have finally hit pay-dirt, as the silence of the Rams so far has pushed the team to the bottom of the NFL list of players under contract. While every other NFL team has met the threshold of increasing their roster to at least 51 players, the LA Rams have been stuck and idling on 44 players, well into the opening day of the 2023 NFL Free Agency Market.

Roster cleansing or simply cutting payroll? Who can say at this point? What we can say is that the LA Rams five starters from the 2022 NFL season are all back on the roster once more. Is that enough to ensure success? It's a good starting point. After all, even drafting top rookies to this roster is no guarantee that those players will effectively transition in time to the NFL game in time to start for the LA Rams. In the case of rookie Logan Bruss in 2022, he struggled in competition for a starting role, and then fell to a season-ending injury.

Athletic OL coach gets his athletic OC back

So the LA Rams news of re-signing IOL Coleman Shelton to a new two-year contract is very good news indeed. But it may be better than you realize. Let me explain:

Coleman Shelton stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 299 pounds. Unlike some centers, Shelton is amazingly athletic, with a style of play on the offensive line that is very much like that of former Indianapolis Colts offensive center Jeff Saturday and Philadelphia Eagles star center Jason Kelce, and curiously enough, LA Rams' new offensive line coach Ryan Wendell. Offensive line positional coaches are tasked with getting players to play the right way. What does that mean?

It's a uniformity issue. The LA Rams are subject to the same rules and responsibilities as any NFL team. The LA Rams' offensive linemen proved how important coordination and communication are in any offensive line unit. But equally important is the fact that offensive linemen need the right technique. The reason that NFL offensive linemen do so well even if drafted on Day 3 is the fact that some of the best OL coaches believe that it's the technique and not talent, that dictates success or failure in the NFL.