Bengals incidentally created a locker room reunion thanks to last two free agent signings
Two new Bengals are back together again wearing a new shade or orange.
Late offseason additions for the Cincinnati Bengals have usually arrived in the form of waiver wire claims. This year, they were free-agent signings with tight end Noah Fant and guard Dalton Risner joining the offense on opposite ends of the preseason.
It’s not the easiest thing for players to get acclimated into a new locker room so close to the start of the season, but if one new player is already familiar with the other, then that process becomes a little bit easier.
Enter Fant and Risner, who find themselves as teammates for the second time in their career.
Noah Fant, Dalton Risner reunited in Cincinnati
The Denver Broncos selected Fant with the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after trading down with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the second round, Risner was picked by Denver with the 41st overall pick. The two proceeded to start three years together until Fant was traded to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022.
Three years later, they’ve got another season ahead of them wearing the same uniform.
“I spent a good amount of time with Dalton. We had a lot of good times together,” Fant told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “We were just talking about it today. How crazy God works. It’s a pretty cool thing.
“Great dude. He’ll talk to anyone and everybody. Great dude. That’s all you can say.”
Fant was a rather unexpected addition to the offense as Cincinnati’s tight ends room was looking a bit full at the time. He’s now a new option to elevate an already elite passing attack led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.
He believes Risner and do the same along the offensive line.
“It’s a great fit for him here. I’m excited for him to be here,” Fant said. “Obviously, we’re going to throw the ball. Dalton’s really strong on pass protection. He has been his whole career. He can run block well, too. But having him in the fold, we’ll be able to mix it up. His athleticism is underrated, and he makes our team better.”
“Our team” is now the Bengals, trading one shade of orange for another after a few years apart.
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