It was announced late Friday night that Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Tom Compton was expected to sign with the Chicago Bears. He has yet to officially sign, but with sources like Jason La Canfora reporting the Bears closing in, he’s as good as gone.

Tackle Tom Compton, most recently of the Falcons, will be signing with the Bears according to a league source — Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 11, 2017

Compton played swing tackle for the Falcons in 2016, mostly serving as a backup to Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder. In fact, most of Compton’s playing time came when either Matthews or Schraeder went down. He was not a star blocker, but his experience in a Shanahan and stretch-based offense in his years in Washington made him a decent mobile offensive lineman and a capable backup to two very good tackles.

As for replacing Compton and adding depth to an offensive line instrumental in the success of the explosive 2016 Falcons’ offense, Atlanta will most likely look to free agency.

A capable and possible low-cost replacement could be Ryan Clady. Clady was a former first-round pick and four-time Pro Bowler. He played for four years in Denver and most recently one season for the Jets, so he spent time under Gary Kubiak, who ran a similar stretch-based offense the Falcons currently run.

Unfortunately Clady has had some troubling injury concerns over the last couple of years, but if the Falcons could pick him up for a low price tag to serve as just a backup, then he could be a nice addition in the offensive rotation.

The upcoming draft does not offer many prospects of surefire talent or guaranteed starters in the OL department. Also, aside from Clady and a few small-name guys, there is not much of a market in free agency either.

So, the Falcons letting Compton walk shows their confidence in the current roster, or that he was expendable because they have their sights on someone else.