Dalton Risner Gets Prominent Endorsement

Hopefully, the offensive guard struggles are a thing of the past for the Minnesota Vikings, who will be without both right guards from last year, Dalton Risner and Ed Ingram. The latter was shipped to Houston for a sixth-round pick that has since been sent to San Francisco for running back Jordan Mason, while Risner entered free agency once his contract expired.

Dalton Risner still hasn’t found a home.

For most players of starting caliber, free agency lasts a day or two. Some need a week to find their next employer, and a handful of decent players have to wait longer, some even until training camp. For an unknown reason, Risner is never in the earlier groups.

In 2023, the Vikings signed him after a Week 2 defeat, and last year, he joined on May 31. This year, in his third try, he is still available with July right around the corner. In the past, Risner has used social media to proclaim his eagerness for an opportunity, and he did that earlier this year, too.

Now, however, he got a fancy endorsement from former NFL head coach and TV analyst John Gruden. Gruden released a video on his social media channels, urging the NFL to sign the man. The video recorded at the Tampa Bay Airport can be watched here.

Gruden said, “Here I am at the Tampa Airport with Dalton Risner. Former Denver Bronco. Former Minnesota Viking. Former Senior Bowl member. Hey, Risner’s a free agent. Any of you coaches or GMs, he’s out there. Sign the guy. He’s a hard-nosed guard. He can play both sides, and I bet he can play center. Sign him.”

The coach used his classic Gruden voice, excited like the average five-year-old with unlimited cash in a candy store.

Risner, just as enthusiastic, added, “This is my guy right here. This is one of the favorite coaches I’ve had. Made my Senior Bowl experience most memorable. We’ll see where we are this year. I’m not sure where it’s going to be. I can play center. I can do it all. I can snap. I’ll play tackle, guard, you name it.”

Last season, Risner played at right guard once he returned from an injury, and the coaching staff benched Ed Ingram for him. In the year prior, the former second-rounder shared the left guard duties with Ezra Cleveland, and his presence allowed the Vikings to trade Cleveland to Jacksonville. Risner played four seasons in Denver, and every snap was taken at left guard.

Yet, he still claims to have full versatility. The good news is he played right tackle in college for three years and started his time at Kansas State as a center. Only left tackle hasn’t been attempted.

More good news is that Risner is too good at his job to have to beg for employment into the summer, as his PFF resume indicates.

• 2019: 64.4 (32nd/83 eligible guards)
• 2020: 61.3 (49th/80)
• 2021: 68.5 (28th/82)
• 2022: 61.1 (42nd/77)
• 2023: 57.1 (46th/79)
• 2024: 68.1 (22nd/77)

Risner isn’t a Pro Bowler, but he’s a serviceable starter and excellent backup, and he played on relatively cheap deals in the past. The veteran has yet to break the bank for NFL standards with roughly $14 million in cash, which included his four-year rookie deal in Denver and a pair of bargain contracts in Minneapolis.

Potential teams for the guard are all over the place because most organizations could use another starting-caliber guard to either start him or use him as insurance for the starters.

The Vikings moved on from him after two seasons, paying him a total of about $5 million for 25 games in the regular season and one in the playoffs. His place will be taken by free agent addition Will Fries, and at left guard, Donovan Jackson is expected to take over. Blake Brandel, who started ahead of Risner last year, will be the team’s backup.

Risner will turn 30 in a couple of weeks, and a new contract somewhere in the league would be a decent birthday present.