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For the last four years, Dalton Risner has been the Broncos’ anchor at left guard.
But unless the Broncos pony up with a competitive offer for the Wiggins native, he might have played his last game in orange and blue. Risner will be a free agent at season’s end and was placed on injured reserve this week with a strained ligament in his left elbow.
“When it comes to this business, what everyone wants at some point as a player is to be valued,” Risner said. “So if the Broncos value me, and they want to keep me here and be a Denver Bronco, I can’t wait. That’s going to be one of the biggest (and most exciting) things.
“But at the end of the day, it being a business… it’s like, ‘Okay, where am I going to be valued at? Is it going to be with the Broncos or is it going to be somewhere else?’”
Risner addressed his uncertain future Thursday in Dove Valley, speaking to Denver media members after being named the 2022 recipient of the local PFWA chapter’s Good Guy Award. The honor is given annually to a Denver player who exemplifies enthusiasm, cooperation and honesty while dealing with reporters.
The 27-year-old will have started 62 of 66 possible games during his time with the Broncos, counting Sunday’s season finale against the Chargers at Empower Field. He struck a reflective tone Thursday while wearing a brace on his left elbow, speaking like a player who knew he might be playing for a different team next season.
“Four missed games in four years, that’s (an average of) one a year, and I’m just really grateful for that,” Risner said. “I’m grateful for the people here, grateful for my time here, and I’m excited to see what’s next for me in my career. I don’t know what that will be.”
Factoring into Risner’s uncertainty is the fact the Broncos will only have $11.4 million in projected cap space following the draft, which ranks in the bottom third of the league. Russell Wilson’s contract alone ($22 million cap hit in 2023) could limit the Broncos’ ability to open their wallet for a multi-year deal for Risner — which is what he will surely seek on the open market.
The club could look at young players on the roster such as rookie Luke Wattenberg (who has seen limited action in seven games) as a cheaper alternative to bringing Risner back, or attempt to bring in a replacement through the draft.
If the Broncos do opt to retain Risner, it will likely come at a significant price.
The league’s top-paid offensive guard, the Colts’ Quenton Nelson, has a contract with an average annual value of $20 million. That’s the ceiling on the current market, but even middle-tier veteran guards are making north of $10 million per year, which Risner’s durability and experience could demand on the open marketplace.
All that might mean one of the team’s feel-good stories amid the past four losing seasons could be headed out of town. A second-round draft choice out of Kansas State in 2019, when he was selected one pick ahead of quarterback Drew Lock, Risner is heavily involved in the local community through Broncos outreach efforts as well as his RisnerUp Foundation.
But Risner said he’s not going to lose sleep over his impending free agency, or the potential that his chapter with his hometown team is over.
“It’s an exciting time — I don’t want it to be an anxious time or a time to be nervous,” Risner said. “I’ve given it everything I had for four years here… I put everything out there, whether it was a good game or a bad game… I grew up watching this team every single Sunday, so it’s a blessing for me to have played here. I look back and I’m thankful and I’m proud of what I’ve done.”
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