New Report Suggests the Vikings Could Make Another Splash in Free Agency
Josh Frey
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Training camps got underway across the NFL last week, and for the first time since the Super Bowl concluded, attention was brought back to actual football rather than speculation.
However, there are are still plenty of free agents left up for grabs. On Monday, a new report surfaced that the Vikings could be a team that makes another splash in free agency prior to the start of the 2023 season.
On Monday evening, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Vikings are set to host free agent offensive lineman Dalton Risner this week. Rapoport tweeted, “Some OL help on the way? Source says that former #Broncos guard Dalton Risner is on his way to visit the #Vikings, potentially filling a need into training camp. Risner started 62 games over the last four years for Denver and is the top OL available.”
During his first training camp as general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not sit back and let things play out prior to the 2022 season. Instead, he continued to identify team needs and made multiple trades to bring in new players. These trades included acquiring QB Nick Mullens and WR Jalen Reagor to shore up the backup quarterback and starting punt returner spots.
It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Adofo-Mensah sees the interior offensive line as a group that could use improvement, or at the very least, some extra depth. In 2022, Minnesota employed five players on the 53-man roster between the two guard spots and the center position. After injuries to both Garrett Bradbury and Austin Schlottmann, Minnesota ran down to the very end of their depth with Chris Reed taking snaps at center.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Vikings have opted to essentially run it back with the same group so far, unless UDFAs Jacky Chen or Alan Ali can make a big statement in training camp.
The addition of Risner would not only provide depth to the Vikings offensive line, but the veteran would likely bring a fierce competition to 2022 second-round pick Ed Ingram for that starting right guard position.
Ingram was the one rookie from the class to start all 17 games for the Vikings, but those starts did not come without some major hiccups, particularly in pass protection. Pro Football Focus gave him a miserable score of 42.6 in pass protection snaps last season. He was credited with 63 allowed pressures and 11 sacks over the course of the season.
Risner, 28, has spent his entire career with the Denver Broncos to this point after being selected in the second round of the 2019 Draft. Throughout his career, the four-year veteran has been superb in pass protection at the guard position 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. The four-year veteran has rarely missed time, either. He has started 62 games for Denver over the course of his career, missing just four games.
Especially as Kirk Cousins continues to get older (he turns 35 years old in August), it will be very important for the Vikings to keep his jersey as clean as they possibly can. The QB has gotten the “ironman” moniker for never missing a game due to injury, but he was hit a career-high 84 times last season (per Pro Football Reference). That number has to go down this year to ensure #8’s health.
In all, Adofo-Mensah stated at the beginning of training camp that he was excited to learn more about his team as they stepped onto the field. Perhaps he has already learned that the team needs more help on the interior of their offensive line.
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.