Surprising Bears announcement will force Rams to run it back with Coleman Shelton

The Los Angeles Rams might have been sniffing around for a cheaper alternative to center Coleman Shelton. Bringing him back next season will carry a $9.5 million cap hit; moving on from him could save them over half that. 

After Drew Dalman's sudden retirement with the Bears, however, everything has changed. Chicago will now be in the market for a new center, upping the cost of existing options. That includes anyone the Rams may have been eyeing, such as Tyler Biadasz. Recently released by Washington, he is already drawing interest from the Bears. 

Until Chicago secures a replacement, he and every other center in the open market can leverage the increased demand at the position. For Los Angeles, that could very well mean paying for another year of Shelton.

Rams must suddenly reconsider any alternative plans they had

To avoid triggering his roster bonus, the team would need to cut Shelton before the start of the league year later this month. Doing that, of course, would leave them without a starting center. They can't exactly sever ties with Shelton without lining up a replacement. 

Before, pursuing a less expensive substitute made some sense. It still could. The only problem is that the Dalman news just hiked his peers' price tags. For someone equal to Shelton's skill, "less expensive" may no longer exist as the Bears and other teams enter the bidding war. 

Running it back with the twice-signed Ram isn't the worst thing in the world. Shelton's overall Pro Football Focus score ranked 13th out of 40 at the position. Against the run, he was borderline elite. 

True, his abilities in pass protection leave something to be desired. Shelton's 49.6 PFF grade finished 36th, and he was below average in pressures and sacks allowed. There is a reason LA's center slot has surfaced as a position for a possible upgrade. 

But would someone they could sign for a few million per year be any kind of upgrade at all? Unlikely. Moreover, the roster has other, more pressing concerns than at center, especially in the secondary. The receiver room could stand to get deeper.

There are questions about the rotation at offensive tackle. Dalman's retirement has reshaped the landscape for free agent centers, and not in a way that benefits the Rams.

More than anything, swapping out Shelton would be a financial maneuver to create additional cap space for other expenditures (for example, signing a top-tier cornerback in free agency).

Barring a favorable resolution to the Bears' situation in the next week or so, one that doesn't overinflate the market, the Horns will have little choice but to pay him his money. Moving on from Shelton otherwise would just leave them senselessly vulnerable smack in the middle of the offensive line.