Coleman Shelton, the starting centre for the Rams, may be on the Bears’ list of free agents to take into consideration.
The Bears may have another option in free agency from among centres, a player who isn’t often included in lists of potential free agents at the position.
It’s a person with somewhat distant previous links to new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron of the Bears.
According to Pro Football Focus cap specialist Brad Spielberger, centre Coleman Shelton of the Rams has a contract void that activates with at least 55% of offensive snaps played. Shelton was not expected to be a free agency. Shelton played 1,114 plays last season, starting every game for the first time in his career, which made him eligible for free agency.Shelton knew Waldron from back in his playing days. Shelton was the backup centre behind starting Brian Allen in 2020, while Waldron was only the passing game coordinator. But he would be well-versed in the Rams offensive scheme, which Waldron is anticipated to bring to the Bears.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 299 pounds, Shelton is a little too small for an NFL centre, but not for one in the scheme that the Bears use. A more athletic centre who can move quickly and occasionally block at the second level of the defence is needed for the wide zone blocking scheme.Shelton’s strength, according to PFF’s rating, has been stopping the run. Last year, he was graded 12th overall in run blocking while ranking 17th overall among centres.
The Bears might use their free agency options to find a bridge player, a seasoned centre who starts for a year or two and a youngster who comes in to learn. In the NFL, it’s not the most straightforward position to learn as a rookie. For example, Joe Tippmann of the Jets and John Michael Schmitz of the Giants were both highly anticipated picks in the previous year’s draft. In a league with 32 teams, Tippmann was ranked 22nd overall among centres, while Schmitz came in at number 36.There are other candidates who meet their plan and might be interested in the Bears.
Two years ago, Tennessee Titans centre Aaron Brewer stopped wide-zone plays for Derrick Henry on a line that also included Bears right guard Nate Davis. Jason Houghtaling, the offensive line coach with the Titans, is currently the assistant offensive line coach for the Bears.
Both Dolphins centre Connor Williams and Broncos centre Lloyd Cushenberry are eligible for free agency and have prior scheme experience. PFF gave them a good rating; Williams called them the league’s finest centre overall. Williams, though, had an ACL tear late in the season, so his health won’t be certain until the very beginning of the league or later. Free agents include backup Dan Feeney and centre Lucas Patrick of the Bears. Guard and centre Cody Whitehair, who was benched the previous season despite having the fourth-highest salary cap cost ($14.1 million) on the squad, may suffer from the salary cap.
Although Doug Kramer, a third-year centre with the Bears, has only played two offensive snaps and three special teams plays in his two seasons, he is still available.
