NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears are back on the board in free agency adding another offensive lineman.
Welcome to Chicago, Coleman Shelton:
When it comes to building out a roster for the baseball team, I strongly believe that there is no such thing as having too much pitching. And when it comes to filling out a football roster, I have that same mindset when it comes to offensive linemen. Simply put, your favorite team cannot have too many offensive linemen. Full stop. So even before diving into the Shelton signing, I’m welcoming the new guy with open arms. There’s just no such thing as having too many useful offensive linemen.
And for what it’s worth, I think Coleman Shelton can be a useful piece of the Chicago Bears offensive line puzzle. Not only does he have starting experience in the NFL, he is should have a great amount of familiarity and understanding of the new offensive system being put in place in Chicago. No matter if it is Caleb Williams, Justin Fields, Tyson Bagent, Mark Rypien, or someone else quarterbacking, having a center who knows his stuff in the trenches has value. Shelton brings that to the table — as well as a recent history as a starter.
Who is Coleman Shelton and why is he joining the Chicago Bears?
Shelton, 29, has been the primary starting center for the Los Angeles Rams for each of the last two seasons. The University of Washington product started all 17 games for the Rams last year and played on 97 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. In 2022, Shelton played (and started) 13 games, missing four games with a stint on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain. But Shelton came back that same season and finished it out as the starter.
Coleman Shelton was Pro Football Focus’ 17th-highest-graded center among the 36 players who accrued enough snaps to qualify for the leaderboard. That isn’t awful. From a purely PFF grading perspective, Shelton is a significant upgrade from Lucas Patrick. PFF gave Patrick a 50.5 overall grade, which ranked 30th of 36 centers. At the risk of being presumptive, Shelton’s signing puts him in a position to start over Ryan Bates to be the Bears’ starter in the middle. But perhaps a competition will brew between the two. As someone who enjoys watching offensive line battles at training camp, I’m already looking forward to sweating it out in July and August to see who gets the upper hand at Halas Hall.
Because I’m sure you’re curious, Shelton does have a history with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Shelton and Waldron were together with the Rams in 2019 and 2020. Waldron was the Ram’s Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at the time. Meanwhile, Shelton was a reserve for the Rams who played in 26 games (with more snaps on special teams than on offense). Again, it is always good to have connections in this league.
Shelton joins Ryan Bates and Matt Pryor as new Bears offensive linemen. At a minimum, they have brought in two players (Bates, Pryor) with positional flexibility and a third (Shelton) who could slot comfortably at center. But I don’t think the Bears are done working here. At least, they shouldn’t be.
