Months into free agency, report says Dalton Risner still drawing interest

NFL free agency pretty much came and went in 2023.

And perhaps the most surprising development was former Broncos guard Dalton Risner not finding a new home within the first few days.

Here we are on June 7, and Risner is still a free agent. The whole thing is bizarre, as he was a consensus top-5 guard on the market this spring. The Broncos gave Ben Powers, a guard from the Baltimore Ravens, a four-year, $51.5 million deal right from the jump.

So why is Risner unsigned? That’s a question that’s perplexed Broncos insiders and fans for weeks and weeks. Could it be the ugly Christmas Day incident in which he shoved ex-backup Denver QB Brett Rypien? That seems like a strong punishment for a guy who’s done a lot of good work in the community.

Or could it be as simple as Risner and his agent overplayed their hand and missed the first wave? That can happen in these situations.

Regardless, the first news we’ve heard in some time on Risner came out on Wednesday morning thanks to 9NEWS and 104.3 The Fan insider Mike Klis. He’s reporting a source told him “seven teams have serious interest” in the Wiggins, Colorado native.

Source: Seven teams currently showing "serious interest" in former Broncos starting LG Dalton Risner. #9sports https://t.co/TPNDsNRvSl

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) June 7, 2023

That’s great news for Risner, but obviously he’d like to find a new home before training camps open in late July. Klis projects Risner “to be a starting guard with an NFL team in 2023.”

Now the question becomes how much money will he get? Powers is playing for around $13 million this year. Other free agent guards got upward of $10 million a year. Will Risner even sniff that number? And can he get a multi-year contract?

At the moment, there are more questions than answers. But for the first time in a long time, it feels like there’s good news coming out of the Risner camp. We should know where he’s headed relatively soon.

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