We’re 21 days (three weeks!) away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. As we get closer to the end of the preseason and final cuts, we’re reaching the top of the Bengals’ 90-man roster in our daily profile series. Check out previous player profiles here.

The next player on the countdown was a key free agent signing made right before last season began.

Dalton Risner Player Profile

Age: 31
Year: 8th
Position: Guard
College: Kansas State
Jersey Number: 65

Dalton Risner was orignally selected No. 41 overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Prior to the NFL, Risner spent five years (2014-18) at Kansas State, starting 50 games with most of them at right tackle. He was a three-time team captain and named the 2018 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches.

Risner played out his rookie contract in Denver, starting nearly every game at left guard from 2019-2022. He moved on to the Minnesota Vikings right after the start of the 2023 season and started the remaining 11 games at LG. Minnesota retained him in the heart of the 2024 offseason and started him for half the season at right guard.

Cincinnati reached out to Risner in almost exactly a year ago when he was still a free agent leading up to the 2025 regular season. He signed a minimum one-year deal to provide depth at both guard spots and was immediately put to work in Week 1 when starting RG Lucas Patrick went down with injury. He started for two weeks while Patrick was out, and made two additional starts at LG when Dylan Fairchild was injured. The Bengals brought him back out for good in Week 11 when Jalen Rivers went down at RG and kept him in for the remainder of the season. This is when the offensive line as a whole started playing at a high level, and Risner’s steadiness was a critical factor.

Contract details

Risner signed a one-year, $3,250,000 contract extension with Cincinnati right before free agency this offseason. His base salary is $1,650,000, and he’s already earned a $1,000,000 signing bonus and an additional $100,000 as a workout bonus. He can earn up to a combined $1,000,000 in per game roster bonuses, and incentives. Because he played in just 14 of a possible 17 games last year, $411,764 of his per game roster bonuses count against the salary cap. His salary cap hit for the year is $3,720,589.

Roster outlook

Signing Risner ended up becoming a blessing for the Bengals last year as he proved to be the missing piece at RG. His fit was so natural that he became a priority to retain before free agency. Cincinnati will now enter a new season with the same starting five o-linemen who finished the year. That hasn’t happened for the club in just over a decade.

There’s newfound comfort in the unit protecting quarterback Joe Burrow as Risner’s return gives them continuity the Bengals actually wanted up front. The 31-year-old has been incredibly consistent in his career as a pass-protector, and that shouldn’t change this season.

Roster odds: 100%