Coleman Shelton

Coleman Shelton's Biography

Born on July 28, 1995, Coleman Rice Shelton is an esteemed professional American football center who currently plays for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Coleman’s journey in professional football traces its roots back to his childhood in Pasadena, California, and encapsulates his college days at Washington, culminating in his illustrious career in the NFL.

Growing up in Pasadena, Coleman first demonstrated his interest in football while attending Loyola High School. Recognized as a three-star recruit, his talent enticed numerous colleges, such as Colorado and Nevada, with tempting offers. However, Coleman’s commitment to the game and raw talent secured him a spot in Washington’s elite college football team where he was a reliance for five seasons.

Initially redshirting his true freshman season, he briefly wore the sidelines before emerging to make a mark on the field in his redshirt freshman year. He not only played all 13 games of the season for Washington Huskies but also started seven, which was a commendable achievement for such a young player.

As a robust and adaptable player, Coleman was a mainstay in the team during the following season, playing as a left tackle, left guard, and right guard. This versatility further strengthened his place in the team, earning him the role of the Huskies’ starting center in his redshirt junior season. Consequently, he was named second team All-Pac-12 Conference.

In his redshirt senior year, he consistently started all of Washington’s 13 games and was lauded by being named first-team All-Pac-12. He served as the Captain of the 2017 team and received the John P. Angel Lineman of the Year trophy twice, recognizing his superlative performances on the field.

After his college days, Coleman jumped into professional football by signing with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in April 2018. As the end of the training camp approached, however, he faced a short-term setback and was released. Undeterred, he signed up with the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad in October the same year. Although he spent the rest of the 2018 season with the squad and was cut at the end of the subsequent training camp, these experiences prepared him for the seasons to come.

In 2019, Coleman signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he made his NFL debut in September of the same year against the Cleveland Browns. He played a whopping total of eleven games during his debut season, encouraging the Rams to offer him a one-year contract as an exclusive-rights free agent. By mid-2020, Coleman had officially signed the tender, and he impressively played in 15 regular season games, plus both of Rams’ postseason games, focused primarily on special teams. Coleman’s performance led to another exclusive-rights tender in early 2021, which he signed in April.

The year 2021 marked a significant turn in Coleman’s career as he had his first extended playing time in the 12th week of the season after the team’s center, Brian Allen, was injured. His command over the center’s position eventually led to his first career start against the Cardinals. Throughout the season, he played in all 17 regular games, including all four of the Rams’ postseason games, which featured the team’s 23–20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

His upscaling performance led him to sign a two-year contract extension with the Rams in March 2022. Even an early setback in the same year, when he encountered a high ankle sprain against the 49ers, couldn’t break his comeback momentum. From injury reserve, he returned to start at the center for all remaining regular games of the season.

In March 2023, Coleman re-signed with the Rams, further cementing his critical position in the team. He started as the center in all 17 regular-season games, including a memorable playoff game against Detroit Lions. However, he took another significant step in his career in March 2024 by signing with the Chicago Bears, where he continues his professional journey in American football.