Former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Long pointed out a concern in Coleman Shelton’s game
The Los Angeles Rams reunited with offensive lineman Coleman Shelton as they prepare for the 2025 NFL season, and you may wonder if that was the right move for the Rams or not? Former NFL All Pro offensive lineman Kyle Long talked about how he saw Shelton’s game on his Pushing the Pile program, and it wasn’t all positive.
Specifically, Long fears that Shelton gives up quick pressures up the middle, which will hurt Matthew Stafford, but Long also said he liked parts of Shelton’s game.
“Coleman Shelton, I got to watch him play some football. I like the way he plays, but there’s a lot of times where his quarterback’s got guys in the face from that A-gap, and when you’re Matt Stafford’s age, and you’re trying to make big plays, and you’ve got your guy Davante Adams hitting double, triple moves you’re gonna need a clean dish, so it’s something to keep an eye on. The center and the pocket for the Los Angeles Rams, they’re gonna have to figure that out.”
You can see Long talking about Shelton and the Rams at about the 22:50 mark in the video below.
Back in January, the Rams were potentially a missed block away by then rookie center Beaux Limmer from beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
You can argue Shelton isn’t the most dominant at the center position, but you could also argue that he would not have missed the same block that Limmer did against Jalen Carter in that playoff game, which means one could argue that Shelton is an upgrade over Limmer.
Jalen Carter played one of the best games you’ll EVER see out of a Defensive tackle! This was a season saving performance! #AchoAnalysis | #FlyEaglesFly | @TheFacilityFS1 10am pic.twitter.com/IdV4ykGYfD
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 20, 2025
However, if Shelton can teach Limmer, and or if Limmer can learn and improve the mental part of his game, then Limmer, not Shelton, may be the best center for the Rams in 2025 and beyond.
L.A. has some time to figure out which player will start, and for all I know neither Shelton or Limmer are the Day One starters. It’s only May.
Despite how early is it, do you have a preference on who you want to see start at the center for the Rams? Shelton? Limmer? Somone I am not even mentioning?
The team’s decision will impact how the season goes, but it could also impact how the season ends, the same way that their decision to go with Limmer impacted their final game last year.
