Dalton Risner Seahawks visit: Would veteran guard be an upgrade?

Right when the Seattle Seahawks were thought to be close to deciding on a starting offensive line, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Tuesday that the team is hosting former Minnesota Vikings veteran guard Dalton Risner for a visit.

Risner, who is 30 years old and entering his seventh NFL season, had a back injury last season that caused him to miss the first seven games of the 2024 season. However, he played 100% of the Vikings' offensive snaps in the final 10 games. Still, Minnesota did not re-sign him this offseason.

Originally a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2019, Risner is now searching for his third team. Fowler reported that Risner "wants to take multiple visits before making a decision" and has already visited the Cincinnati Bengals.

With first-round pick Grey Zabel locking down the left guard spot, Seattle would presumably only pursue Risner to assume their right guard spot.

Is Risner better than Seahawks current options at right guard?

Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) blocks against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (right) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

If we had this conversation in the middle of the 2024 season, the answer absolutely would have been a resounding "Yes." Risner has 81 starts under his belt, which is far more than Anthony Bradford (21), who began last season as Seattle's top right guard and is presumed to maintain that role in 2025.

While Risner played right guard for the Vikings all of 2024, he was on the left side of the line for his entire career prior. That means he has just 10 NFL starts in the position the Seahawks would be plugging him into, which is fewer than Bradford. It didn't affect Risner's performance much, however, which is a plus for any team in desperate need of help at that spot.

But Bradford has reportedly made strides this offseason, and it has shown in his preseason tape. Bradford's biggest weaknesses show up in heavy pass sets, as he's not the most fluid mover in pass protection. Klint Kubiak's scheme seems to be helping his physical skill set. Durability remains a question mark, but the same can be said for Risner, who is also six years older.

Anthony Bradford (#75) amazing blocking in the second level. pic.twitter.com/yWdXkXgDTT
— Alexandre Castro (@alexcastrofilho) August 20, 2025

If this were a beginning of training camp discussion, it would have seemed like a better fit. Bradford and prospective backup Christian Haynes have had the entire training camp to work in Kubiak's offense, whereas Risner would be coming in at the very end of the preseason. Risner has experience under Kubiak from their shared stint in Denver during 2022, but that's it.

Immediately plugging Risner in as the starting right guard may shake up the current offensive line chemistry — which seems to be legit through two preseason games — and cause the unit to regress. We saw that a bit last year when Seattle signed center Connor Williams in early August, only for the offensive line to perform poorly and Williams retired halfway through the season.

Unless the Seahawks have major concerns about their current starting lineup, leave it as is. It's unlikely Risner would want to sign as a backup. If he did, then that would be a premium reserve option.

Is Risner better than Seahawks current options at right guard?

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