Inside The Huskies

Ex-Husky Coleman Shelton Moves from Rams to the Bears

The former UW lineman ranks in the top half of NFL centers.

Dan Raley

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Coleman Shelton has been a patient man in regards to the NFL, going from undrafted out of the University of Washington to not playing much initially to becoming a sought-after, free-agent center.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-4, 299-pound Shelton signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, according to several news outlets, leaving the Los Angeles Rams after five seasons. Monetary terms were not immediately revealed.

Originally from Pasadena, California, Shelton, 28, played near his hometown and started 32 games for the Rams, including all 17 outings this past season and 13 in 2022. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the NFL's 16th-best center, putting him in the upper half of his position group league-wide.

Now it's on to Chicago, where he'll be reunited with a former UW teammate in cornerback Kyler Gordon, who's been a two-year starter. 

Recruited by coach Steve Sarkisian, Shelton was a team captain as a senior and likely one of the most — if not the most — versatile Husky offensive lineman in program annals. Starting 47 of 53 UW games in 2013-17, he was in the opening lineup at all five positions across the front wall. 

The only other player to come close to that feat in recent times was his teammate Luke Wattenberg, who started at four of the five Husky line positions, missing out only at right guard. Wattenberg now plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.

Shelton originally signed with the San Francisco 49ers and was released before spending his rookie season on the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad and then joining the Rams. He's appeared in 73 NFL games, including Super Bowl LVI in 2022, in which he shared in the Rams' 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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