Latest Guard Extension Makes Bengals' Dalton Risner Deal Look Like a Steal

CINCINNATI — It's no secret that the Bengals re-signed Dalton Risner to a team-friendly contract.

The veteran guard signed a one-year, $3.25 million for 2026. He signed the deal last Monday—one week before free agency even opened. The contract could be worth up to $5 million.

Risner was far better than the 35th-best guard in the NFL last season. His 98.0% pass block efficiency was a career high and ranked eighth-best in the league among starting guards. He also added a 97.6% pass block efficiency in True Pass Sets, ranking 3rd among starting guards.

The veteran played 767 snaps at right and left guard this past season on a $1.19 million deal, notching a career-best 69.4 Pro Football Focus grade (fifth-highest on Bengals among players who logged 350 snaps). He was a mainstay all season and wanted to be in Cincinnati.

One of the NFL's Best Contracts

The base cash amount for Risner ranked 35th among all NFL guards when he signed it. It's 36th now.

The Texans agreed to terms on a 3-year, $37.5 million deal with Ed Ingram on Monday morning according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Ingram gets $12.5 million per year.

Ingram is younger (27) and has the same second-round pick pedigree, but was a much worse pass blocker than Risner according to Pro Football Focus. Risner posted a 71.5 overall pass blocking grade. Ingram received a 52.4.

Risner wasn't much different as a run blocker (69.0), but that's where Ingram had a significant edge, finishing with a 79.9 overall grade.

Ultimately, it makes sense for Houston to keep their young guard. It also reflects how much of a team-friendly deal Risner was willing to sign to stay in Cincinnati.

"I truly didn't mean what I said," Risner said. "I didn't really care to hit free agency and see if someone wanted to sign me to a two or three-year deal or maybe pay me more cash per year. I wanted to be a Cincinnati Bengal, and it got to a point where we were so close in terms that it was time to get a deal done. So the Bengals did a lot of compromising, and I did a lot of compromising, and we came to a middle point, into a middle ground to sign the deal. And I was so thankful for that."

Make It Count

Katie Blackburn, Mike Brown — Cincinnati Bengals executives Mike Brown and his daughter Katie Blackburn talk on the sideline during a session of organized team activities on the Bengals practice field at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's one thing to get a deal on a player. It's another to make it count. The Bengals have to make sure that Risner's team friendly deal helps them address the many weaknesses they have on their roster and most importantly on defense.

The negotiating window opens on Monday at Noon. That means the Bengals will be able to agree to terms with pending free agents. They desperately need to add starting level players to all three levels of their defense, including multiple defensive linemen. They can't expect to land guys on team-friendly contracts.

Risner gave them a deal. Now they need to make the most of it. Cincinnati enters the negotiating window with the eighth-most cap space in the NFL according to OverTheCap ($47 million).

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