Shortly after news spread of the eventual release of defensive tackle Barry Cofield, the Redskins made the move official, along with the release of defensive end Stephen Bowen and the re-signing of offensive tackle Tom Compton.

Photo by Brian Murphy.

Releasing Bowen saves the Redskins $5.5 million in salary cap space. He would have counted $8.02 million against the cap if kept on the roster.

Bowen, 30, joined the Redskins in 2011 along with Cofield after playing five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 33 games during his first two seasons with the Redskins but only appeared in 18 during the last two seasons. He recorded 11 tackles and one pass defended in 2014.

Cutting Bowen and Cofield reportedly saves the team $9.6 million.

Compton, 25, was selected by the Redskins in the sixth-round of the 2012 draft out of South Dakota. He was slated to become a restricted free agent on March 10. With the Redskins looking for solutions at right tackle, Compton appeared in all 16 games in 2014, starting in place of incumbent Tyler Polumbus during the final nine contests.

It’s expected that competition at right tackle will be brought in through free agency, the draft or even both.