Reports: Free Agent Guard Dalton Risner to Visit Vikings
Dalton Risner, the top free agent guard on the market, is visiting the Vikings this week, as first reported by Mike Klis of 9NEWS in Denver.
This is rather notable. Risner was drafted in the second round by the Broncos in 2019 and started 62 games for them over the past four years. His overall PFF grades have been closer to good than great, but Risner earned a pass-blocking grade between 69 and 74 in each of his four seasons in Denver.
That's significant because both of the Vikings' starting guards, Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram, struggled mightily in pass protection last year. Their play was one of the big reasons why Kirk Cousins took more hits than any other quarterback in football in 2022.
Cleveland, the left guard, is a fantastic run blocker who has never had a pass-blocking grade above 55.5. He's headed into the final year of his rookie contract. Ingram, last year's second round pick who played every snap at right guard, led all offensive linemen in pressures allowed as a rookie. His rough debut season included stepping on Cousins' foot multiple times, leading to unforced ruined plays.
Signing Risner would be one way to significantly raise the floor at one of those guard spots. He's been a left guard in his entire career, but presumably has the flexibility to move to the right side if needed. It's also worth noting that Cleveland played RG as a rookie before spending the past two years at LG.
Could this mean the Vikings have soured on Cleveland heading into 2023? Are they worried about Ingram's outlook? Or are they just doing some due diligence?
In Denver, Risner played for Vikings offensive line coaches Chris Kuper and Justin Rascati, so there's plenty of familiarity there.
It'll be very interesting to see if Risner ends up signing with the Vikings — and if so, how much he would cost. The buzz is that he's still unsigned because he's looking for significant money as a 28-year-old starting guard with a track record of durability.
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