The Cincinnati Bengals have done it. After months and months of clamoring for help at guard, the Bengals are signing free agent Dalton Risner to a deal.
Jordan Schultz broke the news first.
This has the potential to be a massive addition to the Bengals’ revamped guard spots, which will likely have new starters on the left and right sides this season. Third-round rookie Dylan Fairchild is set to take over left guard in place of Cordell Volson, while the right guard spot was trending toward Lucas Patrick, a cheap free agent pickup from earlier this offseason that didn’t exactly inspire confidence while hoping to replace the departed Alex Cappa.
Instead, that spot is likely going to be Risner by the time Week 1 rolls around in Cleveland.
A former second-round NFL Draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2019, Risner has appeared in 87 career games, making 81 starts. He started 10 games last season for the Minnesota Vikings after opening the season on injured reserve due to a back injury. He earned a respectable 68.1 Pro Football Focus grade, highlighted by a 76.1 mark in pass-blocking.
Risner has allowed just 11 career sacks across 2,984 pass-blocking snaps. Cappa, meanwhile, allowed eight sacks in 723 pass-blocking snaps just last year.
This isn’t to say Risner is an All-Pro who every team should have pursued. His PFF blocking grades have ranged from 57.1 to 68.5, largely due to consistently below-average run-blocking grades. The important thing is that Risner is a good pass-blocker who’s earned at least a 67.4 pass-blocking grade every year, highlighted by his career-best 76.1 mark last year.
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