Coleman Rice Shelton (born July 28, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

Early life

Shelton grew up in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

and attended Loyola High School. A 3-star offensive line recruit, he committed to play

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

over offers from Cal Poly,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a Public university system, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution ...

, and

Northern Arizona Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the ...

College career

Shelton was a member of the

for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman season. He played in all 13 of Washington's games as a redshirt freshman, starting seven. Coleman started every game the following season, playing three different positions (left tackle, left guard and right guard). He became the Huskies starting center going into his redshirt junior season and was named second-team All-Pac-12 Conference. Shelton again started all 13 of Washington's games as a redshirt senior and was named first-team All-Pac-12. He was Captain of the 2017 team and was twice awarded the John P. Angel Lineman of the Year trophy for outstanding play.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Shelton was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on April 30, 2018. He was released at the end of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

Arizona Cardinals

Shelton was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

on October 15, 2018. He spent the rest of the 2018 season on the practice squad and was cut at the end of training camp going into the 2019 season.

Los Angeles Rams (first stint)

Shelton was signed by the

on September 2, 2019. Coleman made his NFL debut on September 22, 2019 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. Shelton played in 11 games during the 2019 season. After the season the Rams tendered Shelton to a one-year contract as an exclusive-rights free agent. He signed the tender on April 27, 2020. Shelton played in 15 regular season games and both of the Rams' postseason games during the 2020 season, appearing exclusively on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He was given another exclusive-rights tender by the Rams on March 4, 2021. He signed the tender on April 7. Shelton saw his first extended playing time in Week 12 of the 2021 season, playing 67 snaps at center after starter Brian Allen suffered a knee injury during the Rams' first offensive snap in a 37–7 win over the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He made his first career start the following game against the Cardinals. Shelton played in all 17 regular season with two starts during the 2021 season and also played in all four of the Rams' postseason games, including the team's 23–20 win over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...

. On March 14, 2022, Shelton signed a two-year contract extension with the Rams. He won the starting Center position and started for six games before suffering a high ankle sprain against the 49ers. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 8, 2022. He was designated to return from injured reserve on November 9, 2022. He was activated from injured reserve three days later and started at Center for all remaining regular season games. On March 15, 2023, Shelton re-signed with the Rams. Shelton started as Center in all 17 regular season games, including the Rams playoff game against the Detroit Lions.

Chicago Bears

Coleman Shelton Doug Kramer Bears 49ers pre-game 2024

On March 14, 2024, Shelton signed with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. He started all 17 games at center in 2024.

Los Angeles Rams (second stint)

On March 13, 2025, Shelton signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams.

References

External links

Washington Huskies bioLos Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, Coleman 1995 births Living people American football centers Los Angeles Rams players Washington Huskies football players Players of American football from Pasadena, California Arizona Cardinals players San Francisco 49ers players Chicago Bears players Loyola High School (Los Angeles) alumni