Is Dalton Risner in Danger of Being Cut by Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-12 on Saturday , in their second of three preseason games. Of course, wins and losses do not matter in the preseason. But there are plenty of other things to pay attention to.

One position battle that we’ve been closely following during training camp, is at right guard. Ed Ingram has started there, the last two seasons . But with Blake Brandel now the starter at left guard, Dalton Risner was supposed to push Ed Ingram for first team reps on the right side.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. The Vikings weren’t that excited about Risner, in the first place. They proved that with the non-starter contract offer they made him in the offseason. Other teams clearly aren’t high on him either, which is why he signed that underwhelming deal , in the first place.

And now, Dalton Risner can’t stay on the field. He’s spent almost all of training camp injured. So, even with Ed Ingram struggling to secure the starting LG role , Risner isn’t on the radar to usurp him.

Dalton Risner may be a Minnesota Vikings cut candidate…

In fact, according to Dane Mizutani (Pioneer Press) , on the Purple Insider podcast with Matt Coller (PurpleInsider.com) , it’s becoming more and more possible that Risner could be again unemployed, before the end of Minnesota Vikings training camp.

Related: Ed Ingram is Definitely in Danger of Losing His Job

Not only did Dalton lose his starting spot to Blake Brandel, over the offseason, but now he is hurt too. He has been for weeks, now. It’s difficult to fight for a spot, when you aren’t available.

While discussing whether or not Ed Ingram will be the Vikings’ starting left guard, Mizutani noted that not only is Risner not in the running, against Ed, but it wouldn’t surprise him if Risner is slashed from the roster altogether (08:30 mark — transcribed below) .

“You’ve almost put yourself in the position, if you’re the Minnesota Vikings. where you have to play Ed Ingram. Your fail-safe was Dalton Risner, who has been hurt all of training camp, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he got cut, because he just isn’t out there.”

Dane Mizutani (Pioneer Press) – Purple Insider Podcast

How did Risner become a training camp cut candidate?

Dalton Risner was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2019, as the No. 41 overall pick. He was immediately plugged into the starting lineup, where he stayed for four seasons. When his contract was up, he did not get the kind of contract offer he felt he deserved, so he hit the open market, expecting a decent payday.

Unfortunately, he didn’t find it. So, after holding out for the entirety of the offseason and multiple weeks of the regular season, Risner finally tucked his tail between his legs, and agreed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, worth an underwhelming $3 million ($2.6M GTD).

Related: Stephon Gilmore Finally Hops Aboard the 2024 Minnesota Vikings Ship

Fast forward to this offseason, it was more of the same for the now 29-year-old Kansas State alum. Teams just weren’t calling. At least not with any offers that would cement him in as a starting guard in the NFL .

So, Dalton Risner took a tweener backup/starter deal with the Vikings, worth one-year and a fraction, at $2.4M ($1.1M GTD), of what he made in 2023. That guaranteed number is important. It means that cutting Risner, as part of the 53-man roster trim down, prior to breaking camp, wouldn’t really hurt the team financially.

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