ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There are several talented players who remain available as free agents, with Dalton Risner perhaps the most surprising among the unsigned.
That is not because of a lack of interest.
The Denver Broncos’ starting left guard the previous four years and the team’s most recent Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Risner has “seven teams that have serious interest” in signing him, a source told 9NEWS. The source said Risner is considering, and willing to wait for, the best fit.
> The video above aired March 13: Busy day for Broncos as NFL free agency begins
Other quality players who remain as available free agents include Frank Clark, Marcus Peters, Ezekiel Elliott, Myles Jack, Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Kareem Hunt, Shelby Harris, Ronald Darby and more recently DeAndre Hopkins.
For whatever reason, the guard market did not materialize as expected when free agency opened March 13 for negotiations. The Broncos moved quickly to make former Baltimore Raven Ben Powers their new left guard with a $13 million a year contract near the opening bell of free agency. From there, the guard market fell with former Tennessee right guard Nate Davis getting a $10 million annual average deal from the Bears and former Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo signing an $8 million per year contract from the Steelers.
Risner was among the Big Four guards at the onset of free agency. After slipping through the first window of free agency, Risner remained patient as teams continued to call.
A right tackle at Kansas State, Risner was selected No. 41 overall by the Broncos, one spot ahead of where the team took quarterback Drew Lock in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Risner started every game at left guard in his first two seasons for head coach Vic Fangio and offensive line coach Mike Munchak, and missed just four of 66 games in his four seasons.
A native of Wiggins, Risner is a local boy made good who was active in the community and a consistent anchor for the Broncos’ offensive line who helped bring along left tackle Garett Bolles and center Lloyd Cushenberry III.
Risner has been working out along with Shelby Harris and Darby at the Landow Performance facility in Centennial, which is not far from Broncos’ headquarters. All three are said to be in the best physical conditions of their careers. Expect Risner to be a starting guard with an NFL team in 2023.
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