Former Broncos Second-Round Pick Teases a Return to Denver

With under a week to go until the start of the NFL draft, it's unlikely the Denver Broncos will make any signings before then. However, the Broncos tend to make one or two veteran signings after the draft to fill any final holes they were unable to address.

One of those could be on the interior offensive line. Could the Broncos reunite with one of their former second-round picks? 

In a recent livestream on TikTok, former Broncos starting left guard and 2019 second-rounder Dalton Risner discussed his free*agent negotiations with a few teams. He talked about finding a team soon, and mentioned the Broncos as a possibility, along with the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’m not on a team right now,” Risner replied ito a fan question during the stream on April 16. “But I will be on a team soon. I could imagine. What do you guys think? Do you guys think it’s the Minnesota Vikings? Do you guys think it’s back to Denver? Do you guys think it’s the Cincinnati Bengals? I don’t know... I’m in talks with multiple teams, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll see where this journey leads us.”

All three teams make sense, given his familiarity with the Broncos, although that was before Sean Payton arrived as head coach. Risner having recently played for the Vikings, and considering how badly the Bengals need offensive line help, it would be a good fit. 

If the Broncos were to sign Risner, it wouldn’t be in a starting role, but he would significantly improve their depth at guard. While he wasn’t a great guard for the Broncos, he was a solid starter and had good chemistry down with left tackle Garett Bolles, though it would be interesting to see Risner play next to Luke Wattenberg after an on-field spat between the two back in 2022.

It's unlikely that Risner would sign a significant contract this late, coming off a $2.4 million deal from last season. He ended up starting nine games for the Vikings, allowing one sack and 21 pressures, all of which came at right guard after being exclusively a left guard for the first five years of his career. 

With the depth on the Broncos' interior offensive line looking like it is, it would make sense for the the team to pursue Risner if they miss out on any interior options they like in the draft. He has good experience and has always been a solid pass protector, but has more issues as a run blocker. 

The question is whether there is actual interest on Denver's part, or if Risner is using the Broncos as leverage in negotiations with other teams that are also working with his agents, or he could just simply be looking to inflate his value on the open market.

Whatever the case, this is a situation worth monitoring over the next few weeks, given the Broncos' needs and the manner in how Risner teased it.