Selected in the second round of the 1993 draft by Arizona, Ben Coleman arrived in North Florida midway through the 1995 inaugural campaign without much fanfare. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Wake Forest product quickly integrated into Tom Coughlin's interior rotation, offering immovable girth and heavy hands along the front line.

Coleman unlocked his potential once settled into the starting left guard job full-time in 1996. Paving massive lanes for Natrone Means and Mark Brunell's scramble drills, he served as a physical interior presence during the franchise's improbable run to the 1996 AFC Championship Game.

Over the next three seasons, Coleman formed a formidable left side of the line alongside tackle Tony Boselli. His finest personal campaign arrived in 1998, when his mauling run-blocking fueled Fred Taylor’s sensational 1,200-yard rookie breakthrough and helped cap off an 11–5 AFC Central title season. He remained a mainstay upfront in 1999, starting 15 games for a dominant 14–2 squad that captured a second consecutive division crown and returned to the AFC title game.

In free agency following the 1999 season, Coleman signed with San Diego, starting 16 games for the Chargers in 2000 before completing his nine-year NFL career in Washington.  He started 65 of his 74 games in Jacksonville.