It’s been another frustrating offseason for Dalton Risner.
A year after it took until mid-September for a team to take a chance on Risner, he’s once again having trouble finding a suitor in free agency this offseason.
While promoting a charity golf tournament in an interview with WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kan., (Risner played college football at Kansas State), Risner gave an update on his free-agency status, expressing some frustration.
“I’m still just undervalued,” Risner told WIBW-TV. “I mean, last year I didn’t get a job until September. And the team that gave me a shot, I showed up there and their four-year starter, within three weeks, I beat him out for the job. They ended up trading him away, and I played 11 games and they relied on me every Sunday.
“And I thought that things would change this offseason — here I am in April, about to be May, and I don’t have a job, and it’s unfortunate, man.”
Risner is referring to beating out then-starting left guard Ezra Cleveland. Despite Risner’s four-year tenure as a starter with the Denver Broncos, he went unsigned throughout free agency until the Vikings signed him to a one-year, $4 million deal in September. He quickly found his way into another starting job when Cleveland went down with an injury. And he stayed in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.
Cleveland returned from injury, but with Risner playing well at left guard, the Vikings traded Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in 2024.
Risner played the rest of the season without allowing a sack, and was given a 57.1 grade, 46th best among guards, by Pro Football Focus for the season.
“I’m a guy that realizes I’m not the best guard in the league, but I know this: I’ve started 75 games in my five-year career, I don’t miss games due to injury, definitely don’t miss it due to anything but injury,” Risner said. “I’m a guy that you’re gonna (be able to) count on every Sunday.”
It’d be pretty shocking if Risner doesn’t get another shot in the NFL. He’s found his way into starting jobs, first with the Broncos, then with the Vikings. How long it will take, however, remains to be seen.
“I sure hope I’m playing ball again this year,” Risner said. “My goal is to find a team that values a blue-collar guy like me.”
