Minnesota Vikings make pivotal decision regarding fan favorite on roster bubble

There were a lot of questions about multiple players on the roster bubble. The Vikings have answered one of them regarding offensive lineman Dalton Risner . They are placing him on injured reserve and will be eligible to return in week five.

Risner was a controversial player on the roster bubble this year. He became a fan favorite in 2023 after the Vikings had a lot offensive line issues in prior years. It accelerated when Ezra Cleveland got injured and he came in and played the rest of the season.

The problem was that Risner wasn't as good as many thought he was. He was a capable pass protector but struggled mightily when it came to run blocking. Risner wasn't the kid of player who excelled in getting to the second level or driving defenders out of rushing lanes. It's why the Vikings didn't want to bring him back during the fist few waves of free agency.

They did eventually bring him back in May for a projected battle at left guard and right guard with Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram. The problem was, he didn't get a single rep with the first team before he suffered an injury during training camp. Now, he's on injured reserve.

Because of the above factors, Risner didn't make my final 53-man roster prediction . They could still choose to move on from him once healthy, as you really can't move on from an injured player without paying.

The Vikings still need to release, waive or place on a list 23 more players.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Roster Cuts Tracker 2024: Keeping tabs on all of the moves to get to 53