LOS ANGELES — In most ways, Coleman Shelton is returning to an organization he is very familiar with after agreeing to a two-year deal with the Rams. But when he reported to Woodland Hills instead of the Thousand Oaks facility where he had worked out for five years, the offensive lineman was caught off guard a bit.
What a difference a year makes.
“It’s funny, walking in, it kind of felt like it was completely new to me. So a lot bigger, a lot more space,” Shelton said. “It feels great. Very happy to be back. Being from L.A., back close to family. We’re excited to be home.”
It was the second straight offseason that Shelton entered free agency. After five years with the Rams, he signed a one-year deal with the Bears last March. This time around, Shelton wasn’t sure what to expect even as the possibility of returning to the Rams and Los Angeles, where he went to school at Loyola High, came to the fore.
“You never really know where you’re going to start and then as things progress, you kind of get a feel for more teams and stuff like that,” Shelton said. “I was definitely excited. As I learned from free agency, you don’t really want to put too much hope into one thing. You kind of want to go with the flow and see how it progresses. So I was definitely excited about it and I’m really happy to be here.”
Shelton played all three spots along the interior of the line for the Rams during his first tenure, but started at center in 2023. He developed a good rapport with quarterback Matthew Stafford, who texted him to welcome him back to the team after the sides had agreed to terms.
Shelton is expected to compete for that starting center job again after Beaux Limmer manned the spot as a rookie in 2024. If he does become the starting center, Shelton will already have familiarity with the other four guys around him on the line.
“I’m excited to get going,” Shelton said. “Obviously I know a lot of the guys and then there’s a couple new guys last year who I’ll get to know and I’m excited to meet them and kind of just ready to get after it and hit the ground running and be with a lot of familiar faces.”
#### Ford relishes the opportunity
Poona Ford’s path to a free-agent payday was not a straight one. The former undrafted free agent had a successful five years in Seattle before signing a one-year deal in Buffalo. But the Bills never found a way to deploy Ford, and he was active for only eight of 17 games in 2023.
After that disappointing season, Ford felt like 2024 was the season to prove himself with the Chargers. And he responded with a career year with 8.5 run stuffs and three sacks. And he was rewarded with a three-year, $27.6 million contract from the Rams this week.
“It’s really just a blessing to be able to secure something like this, especially being undrafted,” Ford said. “It means a lot.”
Ford said he wanted to stay in Los Angeles, and the Rams provided a good opportunity for him to bring physicality in the run game while still getting some opportunities to rush the passer on a young, talented defensive front.
“They were real aggressive in the process and I just felt like this was where I needed to be,” Ford said. “They’re young, they’re hungry and I’m just looking forward to getting to know everybody and building chemistry on and off the field.”