Tag: coleman shelton

Rams have ‘a long way to go’ before deciding who will start at RG

Sean McVay isn’t nearly ready to decide who will start at right guard, but Logan Bruss and Coleman Shelton are the top candidates

As the Rams progress through training camp, one key position battle to watch is at right guard. Austin Corbett signed with the Panthers in free agency, leaving a sizable hole on the right side of the Rams’ offensive line.

They made two moves to help fill that void, signing Coleman Shelton to an extension and drafting Logan Bruss in the third round. So far, it’s those two players vying to replace Corbett, getting the first crack at the starting right guard spot in camp.

Sean McVay says the team is still far from making a decision on a starter and will need more time to evaluate both guys.

“Oh, well, he’s got to continue to progress,” McVay said of Bruss on Wednesday. “Right now, there’s a lot of guys that are doing some really good things. I’ve talked about Coleman Shelton who’s really played at a high level. I’ve been really encouraged with Logan, but we got a long way to go until we have to make those types of decisions.”

When the pads come on Friday and the competition heats up, McVay and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry will get a better look at the group of players up front. They’ll be tested against guys like Aaron Donald, Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson, too, which will only benefit everyone.

Coleman Shelton will compete for the starting RG spot in training camp

The Rams are looking to replace Austin Corbett at RG and Coleman Shelton will get an opportunity to compete for the starting job.

One of the notable losses for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason was Austin Corbett, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. With Corbett no longer in the picture, the Rams are going to hold an open competition at right guard during training camp.

On the first day of training camp practices, ESPN’s Sarah Barshop revealed that Shelton was seen starting at center and right guard, indicating that he’s a front-runner to replace Corbett.

Following the departure of Corbett in free agency, the Rams selected Logan Bruss in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Bruss was expected to compete with Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Bobby Evans for the starting spot at right guard.

However, Shelton has emerged as a candidate due to his experience in the offense. Shelton has been with the Rams since 2019 and he started in two games a season ago in place of Brian Allen when Allen was sidelined with injuries.

Due to his versatility in the interior, McVay likely wants to see what Shelton can do with a full-time role in the offense. Rookie offensive linemen have had a tough time starting since Sean McVay arrived, so it’s not a surprise to see that Bruss isn’t the starter to begin training camp.

We already know that Joseph Noteboom, David Edwards, Allen, and Rob Havenstein will be four of the starting offensive linemen in Week 1 versus the Buffalo Bills. While the competition at right guard will be decided in the coming weeks, Shelton appears to be the current favorite to line up alongside Havenstein on the right side.

5 younger Rams players who could take a leap forward in 2022

Robert Rochell and Brycen Hopkins are two younger players who could have bigger roles with the Rams next season.

When the Los Angeles Rams add rookies in the draft, they don’t typically expect them to contribute in a big way in Year 1. Les Snead and Sean McVay like to draft a year or two in advance, knowing those players will be asked to step up eventually after starters depart in free agency.

For these five players, that time could be now.

The Rams will need players to step up after the team suffered several free-agent losses, creating voids on the roster. These five younger players could take a leap forward in 2022 thanks to potentially bigger roles.

Projecting Rams’ starting offensive line after initial free agency moves

The Rams retained three linemen but lost one in free agency. What does their starting offensive line look like as of now?

The Rams’ offensive line was bound to undergo some changes this offseason. Andrew Whitworth is on the verge of retirement, Brian Allen and Austin Corbett were free agents and Joseph Noteboom has been waiting in the wings to replace Whitworth at left tackle.

One day into the legal tampering period of free agency, the Rams’ O-line is already taking shape. They re-signed Noteboom, Allen and Coleman Shelton, keeping them in the mix for 2022. Corbett won’t be back in Los Angeles, however, after he landed a three-year, $29.25 million deal with the Panthers.

We still don’t officially know Whitworth’s plan for 2022, but he’s been hinting at retirement for some time now. So assuming he does retire from the NFL, the Rams’ starting offensive line isn’t terribly difficult to project at this point.

It will probably look something like this

LT: Joseph Noteboom

LG: David Edwards

C: Brian Allen

RG: Coleman Shelton

RT: Rob Havenstein

There’s a chance that Shelton could play left guard and Edwards could move to the right side, but for now, we’ll project Edwards to stay at left guard and Shelton to replace Corbett at right guard.

Shelton started at left guard against the Vikings in Week 16 after Whitworth and Havenstein tested positive for COVID-19, forcing Edwards to play left tackle with Noteboom at right tackle. So he has experience at left guard, and in college, Shelton also played right guard.

Had Allen not been re-signed, it would’ve been easy to pencil in Shelton as the starting center, too. He has position flexibility across all three interior spots, giving the Rams plenty of options in the event of injury.

The Rams committed to Shelton for longer than they needed to, as well, which is a good sign for how highly they think of him. He was a restricted free agent, so he could’ve been tendered for one year for as low as $2.4 million. We still don’t know how much Shelton’s two-year deal is worth, but the Rams clearly wanted to keep him beyond just 2022.

Rams re-sign Coleman Shelton to two-year deal

The Rams announced that they re-signed Coleman Shelton to a two-year deal to help provide depth on their offensive line.

The Los Angeles Rams are spending the beginning of the legal tampering period to ensure they keep as much of their offensive line intact as possible. In an attempt to give themselves depth in the interior moving forward, the Rams have signed Coleman Shelton.

Following the team’s tweet to announce that Shelton would be back with the organization, the Rams revealed that Shelton has signed a new two-year deal.

Shelton was a restricted free agent this offseason, but the team elected not to place a tender on him. Instead, Los Angeles chose to give Shelton a two-year deal to remain with the team through the 2023 season.

Besides Shelton, the Rams have now inked deals with Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen on Monday. Austin Corbett is an unrestricted free agent as well, but it remains to be seen if Los Angeles can bring back the former second-round pick.

While Shelton isn’t expected to start, he does give the Rams depth at the guard and center spots. And if Corbett does leave, Shelton is a candidate to replace him at right guard.

Even though fans are anxious to see news about Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., it’s a positive sign to see Los Angeles prioritize making sure they keep Matthew Stafford upright for the foreseeable future.

Rams’ makeshift O-line shut out the Vikings, who lead the NFL in sacks

The offensive line of the Rams was fantastic in keeping Matthew Stafford upright on Sunday against the Vikings.

Ahead of Sunday’s tilt between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings, much was made about the Vikings leading the league in sacks. But after entering Sunday’s game with a league-high 44 sacks, Minnesota exited the game with 44 sacks on the season, showing how well the offensive line of the Rams performed.

Besides leading the NFL in sacks, the Vikings had tallied two-plus sacks in every single game prior to Sunday’s contest. So for the Rams to prevent Matthew Stafford from getting sacked once, it’s an impressive feat, especially considering that Andrew Whitworth was inactive.

Also, Brian Allen left Sunday’s game early with a knee injury, forcing Coleman Shelton to step in at center. Shelton would seamlessly replace Allen as the offensive line kept Stafford upright for the majority of the contest. With Shelton kicking over to center after starting the game at left guard while David Edwards was in at left tackle, rookie Alaric Jackson was asked to step in at left tackle once Allen went down.

Despite logging a total of nine snaps before Week 16, Jackson finished with the highest PFF grade of any Rams offensive player on Sunday with an 81.3. Rob Havenstein, Edwards, and Allen were all given grades above 70 as well.

It has been impressive to watch the transformation of the offensive line this season despite the interchanging parts being moved around. Los Angeles is hopeful that its offensive line — with whoever may be starting — is able to keep Stafford clean again in Week 17 versus a blitz-heavy team in the Baltimore Ravens.

 

Sean McVay confident in Coleman Shelton if needed again in Week 14

Coleman Shelton replaced the injured Brian Allen at center in Week 13 and Sean McVay was pleased with how he handled himself.

It was an early first-quarter exit for Brian Allen in the Rams’ 30-point win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen left the game with a knee injury after just one offensive play and was unable to return. Coleman Shelton would replace Allen for the rest of the game and Sean McVay seems confident that Shelton could fill in at the center position if Allen misses time.

“I thought he did a really good job. Coleman’s been a guy that he’s been really steady. He’s been a great communicator, has great command of what we’re trying to get done. I thought he physically played tough and steady – in really both the run and the past phases. Really pleased with him and not in the least bit surprised, but you are certainly proud of the way that he came in,” McVay said. “There was a lot of different things that they can present defensively. I thought he and Matthew (Stafford) did an outstanding job of kind of commanding that. Really proud of him. I thought he did a really, really nice job to come in there and do what he did. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get Brian back, but I certainly have a whole lot of confidence in Coleman if he’s got to go this week.”

The Rams have diagnosed Allen with a sprained MCL and they are saying he’s day-to-day, giving him a chance to suit up in Week 14 versus the Arizona Cardinals.

The good news is that the Rams don’t play until Monday night, giving Allen an extra day to recover. But if Allen is deemed unable to go, Shelton would draw his first start of the season at center.

Shelton recorded a season-high 99% of the offensive snaps in Week 13 against the Jaguars. There were times where Shelton struggled, but for the most part, he held his own against a middling defensive front of the Jaguars.

Pro Football Focus gave him a pass-blocking grade of 74.1 and a run-blocking grade of 63.6, both solid numbers given the circumstances.

McVay made it clear that he’d love to see Allen available for the Rams whenever they play on Monday Night Football in a highly anticipated NFC West matchup against the Cardinals. However, McVay is confident that Shelton can perform well in the event that he’s asked to start in place of Allen this week.

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Which colleges are the Rams’ 2021 snap leaders from?

These are the five colleges that hold the highest snap percentage on the Los Angeles Rams this season.

Across the NFL, there is an endless number of players from different colleges and backgrounds. Some colleges have proven to be better at producing NFL talent than others, but there are still small-college players that overcome the odds and achieve their dream of playing professional football.

For the Los Angeles Rams, there are a couple of colleges that are obvious when it comes to leading the team in snaps this season. But through the first 12 weeks of the regular season, here are the colleges that are in the top five for the percentage of snaps played for the Rams.

It shouldn’t shock anyone that Georgia comes in at No. 1 for the Rams this season. Matthew Stafford is a Georgia alum and is fifth on offense with 685 snaps, putting him behind only four of his offensive linemen.

The other Georgia players on the Rams are Leonard Floyd and Sony Michel, who have combined for 694 total snaps. Floyd has seen the fifth-most snaps on defense this season, only behind Taylor Rapp, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, and Jordan Fuller.

Wisconsin is the college with the second-highest snap share on the Rams with David Edwards and Rob Havenstein leading the way. Edwards and Havenstein have been on the field for nearly every snap on offense as they have both accumulated 1,399 offensive snaps together.

After Georgia and Wisconsin, Washington comes in as the college with the third-highest snap share. Rapp leads the entire team with 733 snaps this season, while Greg Gaines (421 snaps) and Coleman Shelton (9 snaps) are the other Washington products on the Rams.

Ramsey is the sole reason why Florida State cracks the top five as the Seminoles would be higher on the list if Cam Akers wasn’t sidelined with an Achilles injury. The All-Pro cornerback is second on the roster with 722 snaps through the first 12 weeks.

Similar to Ramsey, Austin Corbett is single-handedly helping Nevada make the top five as he’s the lone Nevada alum on the roster. The former second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns is tied for second on the offense with 695 snaps.

Even though this doesn’t tell us much about the makeup of the roster, it’s interesting to see where some of the Rams’ key contributors played in college.

Coleman Shelton officially signed ERFA tender with Rams

Coleman Shelton could be in the mix for the Rams’ starting center role following Austin Blythe’s departure.

The Los Angeles Rams will officially have Coleman Shelton in the mix for the 2021 season. He signed his exclusive rights free agent tender on Wednesday, which means he’s under contract for the upcoming campaign.

Shelton isn’t a big name but he is someone who could compete for the team’s starting center role with Brian Allen following Austin Blythe’s departure. He’s suited up for 26 games in his career, primarily playing special teams, but he did play 23 snaps on offense in 2019.

The Rams are still highly likely to select a center at some point in the 2021 NFL draft to fill the void left by Blythe, but Allen and Shelton will be in the mix, too. And they’re very different players in terms of their frame.

Shelton has better length at 6-foot-5, though he’s only 285 pounds. Allen, on the other hand, is only 6-foot-2 and 303 pounds, lacking the length teams like to see on the offensive line.

That troubled him at times in 2019 when he was the starter, struggling with bigger and more powerful defensive linemen. At the very least, Shelton could compete for the backup role if the team decides to move on from Allen, who has been recovering from a severe MCL injury suffered two seasons ago.

Cardinals, Rams share 4 player connections

Each team has two players who spent time on the other team’s roster previously.

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams will face off this weekend at State Farm Stadium. Both teams have a pair of players who used to play for the other. There are two former Cardinals on the Rams’ roster and two former Rams on the Cardinals’ roster.

Who are they?

WR Pharoh Cooper

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Cooper was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round in 2016 and played three seasons for them. He was even a Pro Bowl and All-Pro returner in 2017. The Rams cut him in 2018 and the Cardinals claimed him off waivers.

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