For his last two seasons in the NFL, veteran offensive guard Dalton Risner has been a member of the Minnesota Vikings. But after the Vikings signed right guard Will Fries in free agency earlier this year and drafted left guard Donovan Jackson in April, the team no longer had a need for Risner's services.
Since the conclusion of his 2024 season with Minnesota, Risner has remained unsigned. However, that seems like that could potentially be changing in the near future.
On Monday, former Fox Sports' NFL insider Jordan shared on his personal X account that Risner will reportedly meet with the Cincinnati Bengals about a possible contract for the 2025 campaign.
Former Minnesota Vikings guard Dalton Risner to reportedly meet with the Cincinnati Bengals
With the Vikings last season, Risner was solid, but his performance was clearly nothing that compelled the team to bring him back for a third year with the franchise.
In 10 appearances with Minnesota in 2024 (including eight starts at right guard), the veteran blocker's PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 13th out of 136 qualifying NFL guards. However, Risner struggled mightily as a run blocker, as his PFF run-blocking grade ranked 96th out of 136 guards from around the league.
With the Vikings placing a greater emphasis on improving their rushing attack this offseason, Risner's struggles as a run blocker were just another reason for them not to bring him back, even as a backup.
This offseason, Minnesota finally got very serious about building a top offensive line. Fans have been begging for it for years, and now that the Vikings have a young quarterback to protect in J.J. McCarthy, the team has placed a greater emphasis on keeping their investment out of harm's way.
A solid offensive lineman like Risner is no longer good enough for Minnesota. Now, the Vikings want the best they can possibly get when it comes to their offensive line so that nothing gets in the way of McCarthy reaching his potential in 2025 and beyond.