Bengals steal veteran offensive lineman away from Seahawks

The Dalton Risner sweepstakes are over, and the Seattle Seahawks weren't the winners.

Continuing to search for offensive line depth behind their starting unit, the Seahawks hosted Risner for a visit to see if he might be a good fit. Risner, a seven-year pro, left Seattle without a contract and ended up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.

Risner started eight games for the Minnesota Vikings last season and has 81 total starts in his career. He can play either guard position, but the vast majority of his NFL snaps have come on the left side. The Seahawks would have been pursuing him for their right side, as rookie first-round pick Grey Zabel has the left guard spot locked down.

It's possible he could have competed with Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard position in Seattle, but it would have been especially late to add a new starter. Bradford likely would have remained in that spot at least to begin the season.

We have signed free agent G Dalton Risner.⁰⁰📰: https://t.co/mQuboJ9Ae3 pic.twitter.com/AwY8XBJQHS
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 28, 2025

The bigger void is Seattle's depth, which includes late-round rookies Bryce Cabeldue and Mason Richman. Outside of that pair, the only backups the Seahawks have on the active roster are center Olu Oluwatimi and swing tackle Josh Jones.

Seattle waived 2024 sixth-round guard Sataoa Laumea and brought him back on the practice squad. Laumea started six games for the Seahawks last season but appears to have fallen out of favor with the new offensive coaching staff. Tackle Michael Jerrell, who was drafted shortly after Laumea, was traded to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of final roster cuts on Aug. 26.

With the Bengals snatching up Risner, the Seahawks will have to go back to the drawing board if they plan to still add to the offensive line. There aren't many free agent options remaining, and arguably none that would be better than the team's current options. General manager John Schneider would likely have to cook up a trade.

The more likely situation is the Seahawks stick where they are, allowing the current group to grow with experience and continued reps together.

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