Minnesota Vikings offensive guard Dalton Risner has been fully healed for a few weeks but has earned no offensive snaps.
Bleacher Report Calls for a New Vikings Starter
Instead, the Vikings have rolled with OL continuity, keeping right guard Ed Ingram in the starting lineup.
And according to Bleacher Report, Minnesota should take the plunge with Risner and send Ingram to the bench. BR recommended one new starter for each team, and for Minnesota, Risner got the nod.
“The Vikings don’t have many current weaknesses but guard is one of them, especially Ed Ingram who has been a disappointment since being a second-round pick two years ago. Meanwhile, Risner recently came off injured reserve and returned to the team’s active roster,” BR’s collective staff wrote this week.
Risner suffered a back injury in the summer and was only recently activated to the 53-man roster. Some onlookers thought Minnesota would shove him into the starting OL fivesome, but the Vikings stood pat with Ingram.
Not for nothing, Ingram has actually played quite well in the last two games, firing up Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades in the 60s and 70s. Pass protection is generally Ingram’s chief weakness, but he conveniently improved the moment Risner was eligible to snipe his job.
“The five-year pro has a good track record as a starter in the league and could be a good in-house upgrade over Ingram. That change would help erase the offense’s biggest hole,” BR added about its recommendation of Risner over Ingram.
According to Risner, he’s ready to go. He said about a month ago that he was itching to play and had been healed for a while. “I’m in football shape. I’ve been ready. This isn’t the first day I’ve been healthy. So, I’m ready to roll. Grateful to be out there practicing,” Risner told Star Tribune on October 14th.
Risner played in 15 games for the Vikings last year, starting 11, so it won’t be too groundbreaking to see him in the starting lineup. Minnesota signed him in September 2023 — after fans called for his free-agent addition for months — and it took an injury to former Vikings guard Ezra Cleveland for Risner to see on-the-field action. Risner joined the starting lineup and didn’t look back. Cleveland was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars a few weeks later.
A familiar situation might await Risner now. If Ingram, for example, fell injured, Risner could see the field and not look back. Otherwise, one must wonder what the Vikings are waiting for.
Minnesota next plays the Tennessee Titans on the road this weekend and is expected to win six points.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.