The Rams made their first roster move of the offseason on Wednesday, releasing veteran center Brian Allen.
Allen, a member of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team, will be designated as a post-June 1 cut in a move that allows him to get a head start on free agency and will save the Rams $4.8 million in salary cap space. And it’s the first of several moves along the offensive line that could come to define the Rams’ offseason.
The Rams will potentially have two starters hit free agency next month. Right guard Kevin Dotson will be an unrestricted free agent, and General Manager Les Snead expressed his desire in January to bring Dotson back if his contract number makes sense.
Center Coleman Shelton also has the ability to void the final year of his contract and enter free agency in March. The former undrafted free agency would earn a $2 million base salary along with an additional $1 million in bonuses if he opts into the last year of his deal.
But Shelton started all 18 games for the Rams this past season. He was among the better run blockers at his position in the league while allowing two sacks in 664 pass-blocking opportunities.
Speaking with reporters on a Zoom call on Thursday, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Vice President of Football and Business Administration Tony Pastoors and Football Administration Manager Matthew Shearin are working with Shelton’s representation to work out a contract to keep him in Los Angeles, where Shelton went to school at Loyola High.
“We would really like to get him back. I would imagine that that’s the direction that they would potentially go. We’re proactively trying to get that taken care of,” McVay said. “He’s a guy we want to move forward with.”
The Rams will have to make another difficult decision with a reserve lineman.
Utility lineman Joe Noteboom is scheduled to count as a $20 million cap hit for the Rams in 2024. It would be the largest hit on the team behind quarterback…
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