The Denver Broncos drafted Dalton Risner in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and the guard remains unsigned at this point in free agency. The Broncos decided to not retain Risner last offseason, instead replacing him with former Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Powers.
Risner actually remained unsigned into the 2023 NFL Season until the Minnesota Vikings swooped in and gave the former Bronco a contract through the end of the season. PFF gave Risner a poor 57.1 grade in 2023 in 745 snaps, crediting him with three penalties and 0 sacks allowed.
According to ESPN's rankings, Dalton Risner was the 9th-best interior offensive lineman in 2023 in pass blocking, which is an impressive ranking. The truth though is likely somewhere in the middle, and Risner is a pretty average guard it seems. With the large iOL contracts being handed out thus far in free agency, Risner sounded off on his X account:
Just In case anyone was wondering… I’ve started 73 games over 5 years in the league… missing only 4 games due to injury… earning the starting spot amongst 3 different coaching staffs… I’ve never asked for a bag, simply just a starting guard contract.
— Dalton Risner (@Dalton_Risner66) March 12, 2024
How often do you see a player openly complain like this? It almost sounds like Risner is begging for a team to sign him to a contract. With the OL play across the NFL on the downswing, you'd think that a team with a poor OL would scoop Risner up, but as we head into the first weekend of free agency, Dalton Risner remains unsigned.
Perhaps the Denver Broncos were right to let their former draft pick depart in free agency last year. Risner turns 29 this offseason and has played 77 games in the NFL, starting 73 of them. With the Broncos from 2019-2022, Risner started all 62 games he suited up for, only missing a handful of games across his career due to injury. If nothing else, he's available but does have holes in his game.
Too often, Risner ended up on his rear end during his time in Denver, not being the best of pass-blockers. And it is a bit interesting that former Bronco Lloyd Cushenberry had the best year of his career in his first season not playing next to Risner. Cushenberry signed a rich contract with the Tennessee Titans in free agency, and he deserved every penny.