Broncos' OL Dalton Risner Named 'Darkhorse' Trade Candidate
The Denver Broncos’ 2022 offense will hopefully look a lot different than its uninspiring counterparts over the last few seasons, thanks mostly to a monumental upgrade at the quarterback position. With Broncos Country’s high watermark at quarterback due to all-time greats like John Elway and Peyton Manning, what Denver trotted out in the post-Super Bowl 50 era was anything but acceptable.
With Russell Wilson now in town, the question is no longer: “Do the Broncos have a quarterback good enough to compete with?”
But rather: “What can the Broncos do around their franchise quarterback to compete in a division and conference full of incredible quarterbacks?”
Even though the Broncos’ offense should be far more explosive and enjoyable to watch compared to previous seasons, the names outside of the quarterback position are not that different from the ones that have taken the field over the last few years. This is especially true for the projected offensive line entering this season.
With the primary right tackle Bobby Massie being the only key contributor from the Broncos' 2021 starting O-line not returning for 2022, just how different a unit should fans expect from the starting five this season?
According to NFL Network’s Eric Edholm, don’t be surprised if a tenured starter on the Broncos’ O-line not only finds himself out of a starting gig this season, but perhaps even off the roster entirely. Could Dalton Risner’s spot on the Broncos' O-line be in jeopardy in Year 4?
The 27-year-old Risner has started 47 games in his first three seasons and is one of the more well-liked Broncos in the locker room. Also, he should be highly motivated to play well this season considering he’s entering a contract year. But the outlook for Risner, who has been solid to this point in his career, suddenly seems a little murky. Netane Muti has been seeing some first-team snaps at guard and might be a better fit in the team’s newly implemented zone-blocking system. Risner makes pretty good coin this season and could be a dark-horse trade candidate should Muti clearly beat him out for a starting gig.
Before the start of training camp, perhaps there was a slight chance for Risner to find himself on the outside looking in. That intensified with Muti's noteworthy play in camp but his momentum has been interrupted by a knee injury that has kept him out of the last few practices.
With Graham Glasgow's contract not being beneficial to unload, the versatility of Denver's 2022 signees — Billy Turner and Tom Compton — and the potential emergence of Muti in Year 3, the Broncos appeared to have options at the left guard position if the team was interested in going a different direction.
If Compton and Turner were not currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, perhaps the Broncos might feel more comfortable moving on from Risner in a trade before the season to help add draft capital to the team’s shallow pool of picks for 2023 (currently only possessing four selections and just one in the top-100).
Outside-the-building discussions of moving on from Risner revolve around the value he might return on the open market compared to some of Denver’s other options, as there are other in-house options to potentially play left guard for the Broncos this season.
While Risner's career got off to a rather promising start, posting a 76.0 offensive grade, 76.8 pass-blocking grade, and 71.8 run-blocking grade in 2019 per Pro Football Focus, he hasn't seemed to progress in the ensuing two years. Last season, Risner posted a 62.2 offensive grade, 59.7 pass-blocking grade, and a 61.3 run-blocking grade via PFF. These grades shouldn't be taken as gospel, but they at least do provide a reference point for performance.
A positive for Risner entering this season, as noted by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, who recently was at Dove Valley observing Broncos training camp, is his fit in the new scheme.
“Dalton Risner’s fit the new zone scheme better than expected,” Breer reported.
This perhaps should not be too much of a surprise, though as Risner was originally drafted by the Broncos with the outside zone rushing scheme in mind. Denver's 2019 offensive coordinator was Rich Scangarello, a coach from the Kyle Shanahan West Coast/outside zone-centric scheme, and Risner seemed to thrive. Risner just might find himself again in a scheme that better suits his skill set in 2022, propelling his play back to his rookie level.
The Broncos should have good continuity across the offensive line in 2022 as the team could, in theory, start players that recorded a large portion of snaps last season. With cohesiveness being a key component in executing the coordinated dance that is the wide zone stretch run, this could be a positive for the Broncos.
However, if Risner doesn’t take a step forward this season in the last year of his rookie contract, perhaps GM George Paton and the Broncos will look to go elsewhere and give another player a chance at left guard at some point in the 2022 season.
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