They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Not sure Los Angeles Rams would agree, but Chicago Bears fans wouldn't care as much as they made the right decision in one category this offseason.
During the offseason, the Rams re-signed center Coleman Shelton after spending just one season in Chicago as the Bears' starting center. Los Angeles was hoping that the move would help protect their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, better, but that didn't quite happen.
In the Rams' 14-9 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, Shelton noticeably struggled in his first game back in Los Angeles. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted an overall grade of 51.1, ranking 17th out of 18 centers for Week 1 before the Monday night football game. Shelton added a pass block grade of 56.3 (14th out of 18) and a run block grade of 49 (16th out of 18).
Bears dodged a major bullet by not bringing back Shelton
Chicago's strategy in rebuilding the offensive line appears to have worked so far. The Bears replaced Shelton with Drew Dalman when they signed him to a three-year, $42 million deal in the offseason.
Dalman had a lot more success with the Atlanta Falcons than Shelton did last year. The Bears got a guy who can be efficient in both run and pass blocking, which was desperately needed.
Last year's offensive line struggled, allowing 68 sacks and rushing for just 102 yards per game, ranking 25th in the NFL. They played a big part in the offense finishing dead last in total offense with 284.6 yards per game.
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After their close win against the Texans, the Rams appear to have some issues with the offensive line. The Bears hope not to have those same results with the amount of money they have spent on theirs in the offseason.