The Bengals officially signed Dalton Risner on Thursday afternoon.
It was a long offseason for the veteran. The former second round pick hoped to sign with a team much sooner, but it didn't work out that way.
"Miserable. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody," Risner said. "Really unfortunate how it's ended up like that the last couple years for me, and you never want to get labeled as a guy that wants to stay on the market, and I want to make it very clear that it's not my intention ever. It's just the business side of things that get tough."
Risner was all smiles when asked about landing in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The star quarterback approached Risner on the practice field.
"Yeah, he came up and introduced himself," Risner said. "I kind of was like trying to learn technique in practice and he came up and said hi and introduced himself as he did other guys who just got here today. You can see what type of leader he is and the way he carries himself on this team, which is pretty special. It's the same way for Ted Karras and Orlando Brown. I've got a lot of respect for those guys. There are a lot of really good talented guys on this football team, but they're also humble and those are guys I want to surround myself with."
The Bengals are hoping Risner can bring some stability to an offensive line that dealt with multiple injuries during training camp. Cordell Volson is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Lucas Patrick, Cody Ford and Matt Lee all missed time due to various injuries.
Risner spent four seasons in Denver after being picked in the second round (41st overall) by the Broncos in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played in 62 games with the Broncos before spending the past two seasons in Minnesota. Risner didn't allow a sack in 25 contests with the Vikings according to Pro Football Focus.
He's hoping Cincinnati can become his new home. Not just this season, but in 2026 and beyond.
"Let's hope I can kick some serious butt with the Cincinnati Bengals and I don't even have to hit that thing called free agency in March," Risner said.
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