One of the notable losses for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason was Austin Corbett, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. With Corbett no longer in the picture, the Rams are going to hold an open competition at right guard during training camp.
On the first day of training camp practices, ESPN’s Sarah Barshop revealed that Shelton was seen starting at center and right guard, indicating that he’s a front-runner to replace Corbett.
Coleman Shelton started at RG and C during practice. McVay said Shelton is competing to start at RG.⁰
“We're really going to open it up and try to see what it looks like to find who's going to be that fifth player playing with the other four guys that are kind of established.”— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) July 25, 2022
Following the departure of Corbett in free agency, the Rams selected Logan Bruss in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Bruss was expected to compete with Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Bobby Evans for the starting spot at right guard.
However, Shelton has emerged as a candidate due to his experience in the offense. Shelton has been with the Rams since 2019 and he started in two games a season ago in place of Brian Allen when Allen was sidelined with injuries.
Due to his versatility in the interior, McVay likely wants to see what Shelton can do with a full-time role in the offense. Rookie offensive linemen have had a tough time starting since Sean McVay arrived, so it’s not a surprise to see that Bruss isn’t the starter to begin training camp.
We already know that Joseph Noteboom, David Edwards, Allen, and Rob Havenstein will be four of the starting offensive linemen in Week 1 versus the Buffalo Bills. While the competition at right guard will be decided in the coming weeks, Shelton appears to be the current favorite to line up alongside Havenstein on the right side.
