Dalton Risner Is Dropping Hints for the Vikings
Josh Frey
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A few weeks ago, free agent interior offensive lineman Dalton Risner was all the buzz in Minnesota.
He visited the team at the start of training camp, and in the aftermath of the visit, head coach Kevin O’Connell suggested that it was a positive experience.
However, no deal has been agreed to between the two sides, and Risner remains on the free agency market. Thus, social media has become a tool for Vikings fans to express their desire for the veteran offensive lineman. They have repeatedly encouraged Minnesota to sign the free agent via their tweets, and Risner himself has liked a few of the requests from his own account.
The partnership between Risner and the Vikings continues to make sense for a few reasons. Currently, the Vikings have Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram at their starting guard spots, but Cleveland is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Ingram had major struggles in pass protection during his rookie season in 2022.
Risner is the antithesis of what the Vikings have typically done at the guard position. While Minnesota has usually opted to prioritize run-blocking in their choices for interior offensive linemen, Risner goes against the grain and thrives in pass-protection.
Throughout his career with the Broncos, the four-year veteran has been superb in pass protection with PFF grading him at 73.6 in 2021 and 72.6 in 2022 for Denver. Last season, he allowed just 29 pressures in 598 pass-blocking snaps.
With the league continuing to trend pass-heavy, this would be a key addition to the offense, especially since Kirk Cousins is entering his age-35 season. A year ago, he was hit a career-high 84 times. This number must go down not only to ensure an efficient offense but also to keep Cousins healthy and on the field.
Risner would also give the Vikings some great versatility all over their offensive line. He has primarily played the left guard position while in Denver, but during his collegiate years at Kansas State, Risner spent a year as their starting center and three years as the right tackle for the Wildcats.
Over the past few years, the Vikings haven’t exactly had the greatest luck with health on their offensive line. Risner could be a great security blanket across all five positions.
Overall, though, it remains to be seen if Minnesota is even interested in signing him for the 2023 season. Every day that goes by, the likelihood that he will be a Viking this year goes down. The Vikings have made a number of moves on the offensive line over the past few weeks, though, so they are clearly trying to add more competition in the trenches. Perhaps Risner is still in the cards.
In the meantime, the Vikings will practice against the Titans before facing them at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.