Did the Dolphins use the NFL Draft to fill long-term or urgent needs?
After using 12 different offensive line combinations in the 2023 season, the Miami Dolphins could still be in the mix for help on that end. Dalton Risner, a starter for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, is one named on the market who could help. According to David Kenyon of Bleacher Report, the Dolphins are a potential landing spot for Risner.
“Are we doing this again? Last year, Dalton Risner went unsigned until Week 3, when the Minnesota Vikings signed him to a one-year, $3 million contract,” Kenyon wrote in his April 28 column ranking the 10 best NFL free agents available after the draft. “He proceeded to allow zero sacks and got called for only three penalties across 745 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Risner might not be a star, but he proved last year that he’s a starting-caliber guard.”
Risner, 28 years old, was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He spent three seasons with the Broncos before joining the Vikings.
The Miami Dolphins re-signed Isaiah Wynn, Robert Jones, and Kendall Lamm during the offseason, giving them familiar faces on the line. They also signed Aaron Brewer to a three-year deal to be their starting center.
Drafting Patrick Paul in the second round, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald wrote that the chances of him competing for a starting role are “slim.”
“The odds of him competing for a starting guard role are slim because of his lanky frame and limited movement skills,” Kelly wrote in an April 29 column exploring positions that could use upgrades.
With Paul likely to be a backup, Kelly wrote that adding a backup interior player like the former Minnesota Vikings guard “would be ideal.”
“Adding a backup interior player such as Dalton Risner or Lucas Patrick would be ideal, especially since injuries plagued the O-line last year, and for most of this decade. Risner, 28, signed a one-year deal for $4 million last September with the Minnesota Vikings, and started 11 of the 15 games he played in,” Kelly wrote. “He has history with O-line coach Butch Barry from their season together in Denver. That could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on their relationship.”
Despite signing with the Minnesota Vikings on September 18, 2023, Risner won a starting job. He started in 11 games and appeared in 15. He’s appeared in 15 games in every season of his five-year career.
In an interview with Vince Lovergine of WIBW 13, Risner explained how he can bring value to a team like the Miami Dolphins.