The Cincinnati Bengals have let exceptional players walk in free agency in the past, and while that's bound to happen with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, they have one particular core player they must re-sign.
Putting aside his wholesome bromance with 2024 first-round right tackle Amarius Mims and how great he played this season, Dalton Risner is much more than that to the Bengals. he's a long-awaited solution to a position that's troubled the team ever since Joe Burrow entered the NFL.
In lieu of any other must-keep free agents, and with at least $57 million in salary cap space, there's zero reason for Cincinnati to low-ball Risner. Here's a breakdown of what a fair contract looks like for both sides.
Predicting a feasible Dalton Risner contract that the Bengals can easily afford
Relative to the rest of the right guard market, a three-year contract at $21 million seems more than fair. If Alex Cappa can get a two-year, $11 million deal out of the Raiders, this Risner accord feels like an exceptional bargain while also being a massive raise from his $1.2 million-ish 2025 cap figure.
As far as right guard contracts go, Risner's average annual value would rank 15th. That feels about right. I mean, would I personally pay him more? You're darn tootin' I would!
That's gotta be a first for that phraseology in my sportswriting career.
Anyway, unless another team comes from the top rope with a massive offer, I'd imagine Risner would take that contract and run to the bank. The opportunity to continue playing with Joe Burrow and this Bengals offense is worth a bit of a so-called "hometown discount."
Because you know the Bengals aren't going to offer Risner what he's really worth. Ain't their M.O.
I wrote a recent article about how the Bengals letting Trey Hendrickson walk frees up a lot of cap space for prospective free-agent targets. Here's Risner added to the list:
- LB Devin Lloyd — 3 years, $60 million
- S Jaylinn Hawkins — 3 years, $45 million
- DL John Franklin-Myers — 3 years, $30 million
- RG Dalton Risner — 3 years, $21 million
All that needs to be done to make all those players fit comfortably under the 2026 salary cap is to do a simple restructure of any contract amongst the Bengals' Big Three. Whether it's Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins, there's a lot of wiggle room for Cincinnati to work with.
Restructuring Chase or Higgins frees up $13 million apiece, or $26+ million if you did both of them together. Burrow's baseline restructure would save Cincinnati over $21 million in 2026 cap room.
This doesn't seem that hard. Then again, nothing is ever as easy as it seems with this Bengals regime, or any of their predecessors for that matter. Ohwaiththat'sright, Duke Tobin has held his seat since 1999. You know, when the Browns came back to the NFL and Bill Clinton was still president. Everything's fine! I'M FINE! I'M PERFECTLY F...