Dalton Risner: Vikings have shown interest, but 'only to an extent'

With left guard Blake Brandel looming as the potential weak point on the Vikings' offensive line, one way for Minnesota to add competition at that spot would be to bring back Dalton Risner for a third consecutive season.

Risner remains available; this is the third year in a row he hasn't signed with a team in the typical March window of free agency. The veteran guard recently went on TikTok live and talked about his situation, with a mention of some limited interest from the Vikings.

"Minnesota has shown interest in bringing me back, but only to an extent," Risner said. "They went out and signed a guard (Will Fries) for a lot of money, so it would have to be the other side of the ball, and Blake Brandel's a heck of a football player. I don't know what their plan would be with me, but if they're willing to work with me, I'm willing to work with them because I love Minnesota so much. And that's saying something. I would not say that for every team."

Risner said he's in talks with multiple teams and imagines he'll sign with one soon, also mentioning the Broncos and Bengals.

Back in September 2023, the Vikings signed Risner and eventually made him their starting left guard after trading Ezra Cleveland before the deadline. Last year, they re-signed him at the end of May and moved him to right guard. After recovering from a back injury, Risner replaced Ed Ingram — who was traded to the Texans this offseason — as the starter from Week 11 through the end of the season.

This spring, the Vikings signed Ryan Kelly (C) and Fries (RG) to shore up the interior of their offensive line, but a question mark remains at LG, where Brandel was rather mediocre last year (his 55.2 PFF grade ranked 58th out of 66 guards who played at least 500 snaps). Kevin O'Connell has expressed confidence in Brandel this offseason, and it's possible he could play better while flanked by Christian Darrisaw and Kelly than he did between Cam Robinson and Garrett Bradbury.

But Brandel also might be best served as a quality backup. That's why there's been buzz about the Vikings drafting a guard like Grey Zabel, Donovan Jackson, or Tyler Booker with their first pick next week. If that doesn't happen, bringing back Risner could make some sense. He played well last year (67 PFF grade) and has a much higher proven floor than Brandel in pass protection.

However, it doesn't appear to be something that's currently on the table.

"The Vikings aren't going to completely dismiss it," KSTP's Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North, "but a lot would have to change to get to the point of the Vikings extending Risner an offer."

Vikings news, rumors, analysis