Minnesota Vikings to sign OL Tom Compton

After making a couple of big ticket signings in free agency, the Minnesota Vikings are once again turning their attention to the offensive line and adding some depth.

Numerous reports state that the Vikings are going to sign former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Tom Compton. Terms of the deal are not yet available.

Compton, a native of Rosemount that played his college ball at South Dakota State the University of South Dakota (my apologies for that egregious error), was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played his first four seasons in Washington before moving on to the Atlanta Falcons in 2016. He played for the Bears in 2017, and played in 11 games, including five starts. He can play both guard and tackle.

According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Compton was a roommate of quarterback Kirk Cousins during his time in Washington, and that the two of them are “best friends.” So there’s definitely a connection there as well.

Yes, it’s not a huge splash signing or anything like that, but for every Kirk Cousins or Sheldon Richardson, you need a few Tom Comptons to balance things out. At the very least, he has a chance to provide solid depth for the Vikings’ offensive line.