Bengals Free Agent Profile: Dalton Risner has what Cincinnati looks for in a quick business decision

Dalton Risner is one of the best free agents Cincinnati can re-sign.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer

Feb 11, 2026 4:00 PM EST

We’re getting closer and closer to NFL free agency, and the Cincinnati Bengals have 16 players with expiring contracts. Who will re-sign with the team, and who will leave when the 2026 league year begins? We’ll go through all impending free agents before the madness begins.

With over 60 rostered players under contract, the Bengals may not be bringing back the majority of their own free agents. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect one of the few starters set to hit the open market will actually see the market.

Dalton Risner

Position: Guard
Age for 2027 Season: 31
Incoming NFL Year: 8th
Previous AAV: $1,337,500
2026 Snap %: 69.1%

Dalton Risner was the last free agent Cincinnati signed before the 2025 regular season began. The Bengals needed another guard to round out the offensive line room behind opening day starters Lucas Patrick and Dylan Fairchild. Patrick ended up getting injured in Week 1, clearing the way for Risner to come off the bench and play the next three weeks. Risner ended up going back to the bench in favor of rookie Jalen Rivers, but made two starts for an injured Fairchild in the heart of the season.

Having Risner as an experienced spot starter was paying dividends, but he really proved his value in the final third of the year. Rivers suffered an ankle injury in Week 11 and was replaced by Risner. The seventh-year veteran ended up staying the starting right guard for the rest of the season, and the o-line thrived thanks to his presence.

Risner was one of the very best pass-protecting guards in the game during the final seven games of the year, allowing just nine pressures despite pass-blocking for 297 snaps. Cincy’s line as a whole ranked second in Pro Football Focus’ Pass Blocking Efficiency score. When he finally settled in after arriving far too late in the offseason, he proved to be what the Bengals needed to round out their protection unit for quarterback Joe Burrow.

Contract History and Projection

Risner signed a one-year, $1,337,500 contract with the Bengals. Only $167,500 was guaranteed at signing. It was a deal for a reserve, not a starter, and even his past contracts were slightly larger. He signed two one-year deals with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 and 2024 worth $3 million and $2.41 million, respectively.

Spotrac.com’s calculated market value for Risner is a one-year, $2,417,200 contract, which would rank 40th among guards in the league. This would be a return to the level of pay he received from Minnesota a few years back.

Prediction

Risner played well as a starter for Cincinnati, has Amarius Mims as an endorsement to be retained, and made it clear he wants to re-sign before hitting free agency.

All of that should be enough to get this deal done immediately. What really makes it seem inevitable is Risner never signing anything more than an affordable one-year deal as a veteran player. The Bengals could offer a modest two-year deal with minimal guaranteed money, and it’d be the largest contract he’s ever signed.

It would be one of the biggest surprises, and a damning indictment on Cincinnati, if Risner ended up leaving for another team this offseason.