Tag: coleman shelton

Matthew Stafford shares his thoughts on Rams rotating Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton at center

Matthew Stafford spoke about the Rams’ competition at center, and he sees it as a positive to work with Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton.

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The Los Angeles Rams are holding competitions at a handful of positions this offseason, including the center position. With the Rams giving reps to Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton, Matthew Stafford spoke about the team rotating centers in practice.

“It’s not too much different for me. I think we’re kind of rotating a bunch of guys in there. We’ve got some new guys at tackle this week for this deal. It’s been a lot – a bunch of competition, a bunch of rotation in there,” Stafford said. “I know at some point, we’ll settle into what we want to get to, but right now I think all that’s good. As far as for me, I’m lucky to play with both of those guys. They’re really great centers, have a great command of the offense, what we’re trying to do, are professional snappers of the football, and all that kind of stuff. It’s not too much of a big deal to me.”

Since being traded to the Rams in 2021, Stafford has mainly taken snaps from Allen. The veteran center has been limited to 32 games since 2019 due to injuries and he missed 10 games last season.

Despite Allen’s experience, the Rams have given more first-team reps to Shelton in OTAs and during mandatory minicamp. Training camp will be a good indicator of who will end up starting the season, but there’s a chance Allen loses his starting job to Shelton.

For a quarterback, it’s all about repetition and getting into a rhythm with the other 10 players on the field. But with the Rams shaking things up in the trenches, Stafford appears to welcome the current competition that is taking place at center and the other positions on the offensive line.

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Brian Allen could be in danger of losing his starting job at center

Coleman Shelton has been getting first-team reps at center for the Rams, putting Brian Allen’s starting job in jeopardy.

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The Los Angeles Rams are going to look a lot different across the board in 2023 compared to the 2022 season. One area where the Rams could make alterations is along the offensive line and that could include Brian Allen losing his starting job at the center position.

The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue recently spoke about Coleman Shelton getting first-team reps at center during OTAs over Allen in the most recent “11 Personnel” podcast. Shelton continues to get reps with the starters at the beginning of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, while Allen was getting reps with Brett Rypien at quarterback.

Rodrigue revealed that the Rams want to get bigger in the interior of their offensive line in hopes to improve the rushing attack after hiring Mike LaFleur as the team’s new offensive coordinator. This makes sense as the Rams took Steve Avila early in this year’s draft and Logan Bruss early in last year’s draft.

 

Allen missed the entire 2020 season due to injury, but he’s made 32 starts since the 2019 campaign. Injuries have been an issue for the former fourth-round pick, including missing 10 games in 2022.

Meanwhile, Shelton made 13 starts for the Rams last season, and he has experience at guard and center. And connecting the dots that Rodrigue mentioned, Shelton is bigger than Allen, making him more of an ideal fit for what Sean McVay and LaFleur want to accomplish in the interior.

Earlier this offseason, the Rams reworked Allen’s contract to save $3.2 million in cap space. Releasing Allen wouldn’t create any cap savings for the Rams right now and it would give the team another $3.05 million in dead money.

There’s a chance that the Rams just want Allen to inherit a depth role with his experience and knowledge of the offense. On the other hand, if they could find a trade partner, Allen would free up $2 million in cap space, with a $1.05 million dead cap charge.

McVay and LaFleur have both mentioned that the Rams are going to deploy the best five offensive linemen in 2023, so there is plenty of time before they’ll have to decide who to start. But at the moment, it appears that Allen could be handing over the starting center job to Shelton or someone else this season.

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Rams have 2nd-most dead money in NFL this year: Here’s how it breaks down

The Rams currently have $74.2 million in dead money this year, which is the second-most in the NFL.

It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Rams are looking toward the future with how they’ve conducted business since the conclusion of the 2022 season. After acquiring them via trade or in free agency in recent years, the Rams have parted ways with Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Bobby Wagner, and Allen Robinson — among others — this offseason.

By moving on from these players, the Rams have freed up cap space for future years, but they’ll be eating quite a bit of dead cap in 2023, as a result. Dead cap, or dead money, is defined as money that a team still owes when a player is released, traded, or if they have void years included in their contracts.

According to Over The Cap, following the Robinson trade, the Rams currently have $74.2 million in dead money this season. That is the second-most dead cap in the NFL right now, only behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who currently possess $75.3 million in dead money.

With a large amount of dead money sitting on their books, the Rams are limited in cap space, having only $1.5 million to spend (fifth-fewest in the NFL) right now. Guys like Ramsey, Floyd, Wagner, and Robinson make up a big chunk of the dead money, but we’ll be taking a look at all of the players contributing to the dead cap number below.

Breaking down Coleman Shelton’s 2-year deal worth up to $8.75M

Coleman Shelton got a two-year deal worth up to $8.75 million, but it could void after one year based on playing time

The Los Angeles Rams have signed exactly one unrestricted free agent this offseason: offensive lineman Coleman Shelton. He inked a two-year deal to remain with the Rams after starting 13 games last season, though it’s unclear which position he’ll play next season.

One thing’s for sure: He’ll have a great chance to start based on the structure of his contract. Aaron Wilson shared the details of Shelton’s deal with the Rams, which will pay him up to $8.75 million.

It’s a two-year deal with a base value of $4.75 million, including $3.75 million in guarantees. He gets $2.75 million guaranteed at signing in the form of his 2023 salary, a $500,000 signing bonus and $750,000 from his roster bonus in 2024.

Another $1 million guaranteed will come on the fifth day of the 2024 league year next March. There’s also $2 million available each year with incentives, though the details of those benchmarks were not reported.

According to Over The Cap, his cap hits will be $1.75 million in 2023 and $3 million in 2024.

However, Wilson notes that 2024 becomes a void year if Shelton plays 55% of the snaps in 2023. So essentially, if he’s a starter next season, he’ll become a free agent again.

Shelton started at both guard and center last season and he could line up at either spot again in 2023, depending on whether the Rams keep Brian Allen on the roster or if they cut him.

Clearly the Rams feel Shelton is a starting-caliber player with this deal, though.

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Rams, Coleman Shelton agree to terms on 2-year deal

The Rams and Coleman Shelton have agreed to a new 2-year deal, keeping him in LA

The Los Angeles Rams are on the board in free agency. They announced on Wednesday night that they’ve agreed to terms on a two-year deal with offensive lineman Coleman Shelton.

Though the deal isn’t signed yet, this is the Rams’ first signing of free agency thus far.

Shelton had the option to void his contract and become a free agent this offseason, which he did. However, that didn’t lead to his departure from the Rams. Instead, the two sides have extended his stay in L.A. by another two years through 2024.

Last season, Shelton played and started 13 games for the Rams, lining up at both center and guard. The Rams need help all across the line this offseason and his versatility certainly carries a lot of value.

Shelton originally joined the Rams in 2019 when he was signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad, and he’s remained with Los Angeles ever since.

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4 potential cap casualties for Rams in 2023

With the Rams searching for ways to create cap space in 2023, these 4 players could be released

The Los Angeles Rams will begin looking ahead to the 2023 season following a forgettable 2022 campaign that saw them finish with a 5-12 record. The bulk of the offseason is only a couple of months away and the Rams will need to clear up some cap space ahead of free agency and the draft.

There is a multitude of ways teams can free up cap space in the NFL and the Rams will likely look to restructure a few contracts this offseason to do that. Meanwhile, there is also the possibility of Los Angeles parting ways with a couple of players that are under contract.

With the Rams needing to get creative to shed some salary this offseason, here are four potential cap casualties for the team in 2023.

5 Rams to watch in Week 16 vs. Broncos

The Rams will host the Broncos on Christmas in Week 16 and we have five players to keep an eye on.

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The Los Angeles Rams are set to host the Denver Broncos on Christmas in Week 16 at SoFi Stadium. Both the Rams and the Broncos have been among the most disappointing teams this season, with both teams already being eliminated from playoff contention.

Following a loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night in Week 15, the Rams fell to 4-10 on the season, giving them the second-worst record in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Broncos improved to 4-10 in Week 15 after beating the Arizona Cardinals.

With the Rams and Broncos just looking to finish the season strong — and healthy — here are five players to watch in Sunday’s matchup on Christmas.

Rams activate Kyren Williams, Coleman Shelton and Quentin Lake

The Rams activated 3 players, including Kyren Williams, and waived Malcolm Brown from the active roster

As expected, Kyren Williams and Coleman Shelton are officially back from injured reserve for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. The Rams activated both players on Saturday, which Sean McVay said would be the case during his media session on Friday.

Additionally, they activated rookie safety Quentin Lake, who has been out all year due to a knee injury he suffered this summer. He’ll take the place of Terrell Burgess in the secondary after he was waived by the Rams this week.

With Williams back from injury, the Rams waived Malcolm Brown from the 53-man roster. Williams joins Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. on the active roster, while Ronnie Rivers is still on the practice squad.

Shelton will step right in as a starter again at guard, likely on the right side. That could cause the Rams to move Chandler Brewer to left guard, thus benching Bobby Evans.

Finally, the Rams promoted Jared Pinkney from the practice squad for this week’s game against the Cardinals.

Coleman Shelton, Kyren Williams will be active for Rams vs. Cardinals

The Rams announced that Coleman Shelton and Kyren Williams will play on Sunday vs. the Cardinals.

The Los Angeles Rams are looking to get back into the win column in Week 10 and they’ll be getting some reinforcements. Ahead of an NFC West showdown with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sean McVay announced that Coleman Shelton and Kyren Williams will be active.

Shelton has been sidelined since Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers due to a high-ankle sprain. The veteran interior lineman was the starting right guard for the Rams until he had to move to center when Brian Allen (who has since returned) went down with a knee injury in Week 1.

On Wednesday, Shelton was designated to return from injured reserve, indicating that he made enough progress to potentially be active. With Shelton back in the mix, he should move back to the right guard position while it remains to be seen who starts at left guard.

Meanwhile, Williams returned to practice this week and Sean McVay hinted at him being able to play on Sunday following Wednesday’s practice. The rookie running back has been inactive since Week 1 with an ankle ailment.

Considering the struggles that the Rams have had on the ground, Williams could see a decent-sized role in his return to the field. But in his first game back from injury, fans may want to temper their expectations for Williams in Week 10.

Both Shelton and Williams will need to be activated from IR before Sunday.

Coleman Shelton designated to return from IR, is back at practice

Coleman Shelton is back at practice and has been designated to return from IR

More offensive line help is on the way for the Los Angeles Rams. The team announced on Wednesday that guard Coleman Shelton has been designated to return from injured reserve.

Shelton suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4 against the 49ers and has been sidelined since. His original timeline for return was 4-6 weeks, so he’s right on track.

Sean McVay said on Monday night that “there’s a chance” Shelton could return this week against the Cardinals and while he still has not been activated, it’s a good sign he’s returned to practice ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Rams now have 21 days to activate Shelton from injured reserve and add him to the 53-man roster. If he isn’t activated in that window, he’ll remain on IR for the rest of the year.

Shelton began the season as the Rams’ starting right guard before moving to center to help replace Brian Allen, who also got injured early in the year.

With Allen back now, Shelton should slide in seamlessly at right guard. That could push Chandler Brewer or Oday Aboushi to left guard if the Rams bench Bobby Evans.