Bengals' latest depth chart decision gives Dalton Risner a second chance and puts rookie in unexpected limbo

The starting left guard for the Cincinnati Bengals is, most recently, Dalton Risner. That wasn't the case just two weeks ago, and it certainly wasn't the plan when Risner, a seventh-year player now on his third team, signed with the club in the final days of August.

Risner started two games at right guard following the injury to Lucas Patrick but was then benched for rookie Jalen Rivers. Cincinnati then brought Risner back out to start at LG while another rookie, Dylan Fairchild, dealt with a knee injury.

Both Risner and Fairchild were healthy enough to play in Week 7's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was the recently-benched veteran who got the nod over the rookie. For now, it appears Risner is getting a second chance, which doesn't look great for the guy he started over last week.

Dylan Fairchild finds himself on the bench after being drafted to start

The Bengals' biggest need entering the 2025 NFL Draft was a starting guard. Two starting guards, even. They bypassed the position with their first two picks, which essentially pigeonholed them into using their third-round pick to fill the need. Fairchild was the target, and from the moments after the pick was finalized, the expectation was for him to start right away.

OTAs, minicamp, training camp, and the preseason showcased Fairchild as the unquestioned starter at LG, the position he manned for Georgia the previous two years in college. It carried over into the regular season, and while the offensive line as an entire unit hasn't been good enough for Cincinnati, Fairchild has stood his ground relatively well for a rookie.

Perfect? Far from it. Good enough to stay on the field? That seemed to be the case.

If Fairchild was healthy enough to be active but Risner had gotten all the reps with the starting unit during a shorten week of practice and the latter was given the nod, that checks out as a logical decision. Risner has started the vast majority of his career at LG as opposed to RG where he didn't play very well earlier in the year. There's a comfort level at that spot, and he boasts plenty more experience than any rookie could have.

In the midst of a mini-bye week with 10 days separating the Bengals' games from Week 7 to Week 8, the choice head coach Zac Taylor and his staff makes for who starts this week in practice will be very telling. If Fairchild is watching Risner with the second-string after being uncontested for an entire offseason and five regular season games, Cincinnati's plan with its third-rounder will have officially taken a sharp turn toward an unfortunate direction. Risner was signed with the hope of providing starting-level upside, but at the other guard spot where there wasn't an established starter.

Like most things with the Bengals' offense, plans have changed in ways no one could've anticipated. The starting LG will now be a storyline to follow in the coming days.