Did Rams make right decision bringing back Coleman Shelton?

The Los Angeles Rams made the decision this past offseason to bring back Coleman Shelton to play center. While Beaux Limmer started at center for much of the 2024 season, the Rams brought back Shelton to raise the floor at the position even if he didn’t have the physical ceiling of Limmer especially in the run game. Shelton was a player that brought an element of familiarity in the offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

However, through three weeks, it’s fair to wonder whether or not the Rams made the correct decision bringing Shelton back. When the Rams moved on from their center following 2023, it was done for a reason. Part of that reason being that the offense was moving towards more of a gap scheme run game that required the offense line to block at defensive lineman rather than block in space.

On gap scheme runs in 2023, Shelton ranked 19th among 31 qualifying centers in gap scheme run-blocking compared to fifth in zone according to PFF. Moving on from Shelton was part of the Rams changing the identity of their offensive line. Bringing Shelton back feels like a step back from what the Rams wanted to accomplish.

Still, much of what the Rams did this offseason was done with the idea of raising the floor. It’s why Shelton was brought back and why they signed Nate Landman. It’s why instead of drafting a cornerback, they opted to bring back Ahkello Witherspoon and didn’t move on from Darious Williams. This is a team that already has a high ceiling. If they could raise their floor in bad moments, it may be enough to get them over the edge.

The problem is, there are serious questions at this point when it comes to how much Shelton has actually raised the floor at center. Shelton ranks 19th in run-blocking on gap-scheme runs with a grade of 64.1 via PFF. Comparatively, Limmer had a run-blocking grade on gap scheme runs of 67.7 in 2024.

Additionally, Shelton has been lacking in pass protection. PFF has Shelton ranked 30th out of 30 centers with a pass-blocking grade of 26.8. Again, for comparison, Limmer had a pass-blocking grade of 42.9 in 2024. While Shelton has only given up three pressures, this doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily winning matchups. Having Matthew Stafford at quarterback certainly helps. The Rams quarterback is getting rid of the ball in 2.53 seconds on average which is the second-fastest in his career. He’s also one of the best quarterbacks when it comes to pocket movement in the NFL.

This isn’t to say that Limmer should be starting at center over Shelton. However, it is worth wondering if Shelton is actually raising the floor at center. Shelton signed to a two-year, $12 million contract in free agency with $9 million guaranteed. With a $6 million average salary per year, the Rams are paying Shelton as a top-10 center.

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