3 Centers the Chicago Bears Should Pursue in Free Agency
By Todd Welter
Coleman Shelton
Shelton had a provision in his contract that allowed him to void his deal and become a free agent. Shelton won a training camp battle with Brian Allen for the starting job. Shelton ended up playing 1113 snaps at center last season for the Rams who made the playoffs.
He finished with a PFF rating of 64.5. He allowed just two sacks and committed six penalties.
The problem the Bears may face is the Rams would like to keep Shelton.
Les Snead says Rams are in “constant communication” with center Coleman Shelton and representation, who decided to void his last year. Snead says they are trying to see if they can get something done with Shelton as a free agent. Sean McVay said last week they’d like to keep him.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) February 28, 2024
Snead seemed optimistic that Shelton is using the market to determine a number that he can return to the Rams.
Spielberger did throw out Shelton's name because Waldron was the passing game coordinator for the Rams during the early portion of Coleman's career. Spielberger also pointed out that since the Bears have tackles on rookie deals, they can afford to overpay for a center.
Shelton might be worth the overpay since he is familiar with Waldron's offense. Shelton has a Super Bowl ring on top of it all. Plus, Shelton's ability to play guard is helpful for the offensive line's versatility.
If Shelton returns to the Rams, signing Allen would make sense too since he was just cut by the Rams.
The biggest factor for all three of these targets is they would upgrade the line immensely and that is worth paying.
The Chicago Bears are all but guaranteed to select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. In fact, on FanDuel Sportsbook, the odds of Williams going #1 is -1600. Head over to FanDuel, take advantage of their sign-up offer, and wager on who you think the Bears will end up drafting.
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