Coleman Shelton
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The Rams have been urged to release starting center Coleman Shelton in order to free up some cap space
The Los Angeles Rams enjoyed a strong 2025 campaign, but when push came to shove, they could not get past the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. Now, the team is headed back to the drawing board this offseason, as it will look to find a way to get over the hump and return to the Super Bowl.
In order to make the upgrades needed to its roster, Los Angeles is going to need some cap space at its disposal. As a result, the front office is likely looking at its current crop of players and identifying players who they could move on from. In a surprising turn of events, though, it appears as if one of their key starters on offense, center Coleman Shelton, could be one of their top cut candidates.
Coleman Shelton Labeled Top Cut Candidate for the Rams
Shelton broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2019. After working primarily as a backup offensive lineman for his first three seasons in the league, Shelton eventually became a starter in 2022. After spending one season with the Chicago Bears in 2024, Shelton returned to the Rams on a two-year, $12 million contract.
In his first season back with Los Angeles, Shelton turned in easily the best season of his career. He started all 17 games, and he played a big role in keeping Matthew Stafford standing upright in the pocket. Beyond that, Shelton also profiles as one of the best run blockers in the league, even though he plays at center, which can make staying in front of your defender a little bit more difficult.
There’s no doubt that Shelton was a very valuable asset for L.A. in 2025, but his contract is backloaded, meaning it will cost the team significantly more to keep him town for the upcoming campaign. If the two sides can’t work out a way to restructure his deal, Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports believes that Shelton could find himself headed for the exit door this offseason.
“Shelton is far from a bad center. PFF graded him as a top-10 run blocker, though his track record in pass-pro is sketchy at best. LA would only cut him to clear cap space for more pressing matters. A record-setting extension for Puka Nacua comes to mind,” Dvorchak wrote.
Should the Rams Release Coleman Shelton?
Coleman Shelton
GettyThe Rams have been urged to release starting center Coleman Shelton in order to free up some cap space
The motive for potentially releasing Shelton would be strictly financial, as it would save the team $5.5 million in cap space. With a guy like Puka Nacua set to command a massive contract extension in the near future, the Rams are going to need to be as stingy with their salary cap as possible, which makes every penny count when it comes to their salary cap accounting over the next few weeks.
The more likely avenue would involve negotiating a restructured deal with Shelton. It would seemingly be unwise for the team to move on from Shelton after he enjoyed such a solid campaign, but the front office could have difficulty finding other areas where it could shed cap space this offseason. Los Angeles should do what it can to keep Shelton, but if the two sides are at an impasse, it may have to move on from him this offseason.