Is Dalton Risner’s time with the Denver Broncos over?

Dalton Risner. The kid who grew up in Wiggins, Colorado, and was drafted by his hometown team in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Because of Risner’s connection to the state of Colorado, he was immediately a fan favorite. In his four seasons with the Broncos, Risner consistently made an impact on the local community. He even created the RisnerUp foundation to “positively impact others through love and kindness.”

His impact has not gone unnoticed. In 2022, the Broncos nominated Risner for the Walter Payton Man of the Year and the Darrent Williams Good Guy awards.

Risner just finished his fourth season with the Broncos, and is now an unrestricted free agent. Has Risner performed well enough to earn a contract extension?

Risner’s performance has been all over the place. His highest-rated season came in 2021 when PFF gave him a season grade of 68.5. Unfortunately for Risner, he had his worst season in a make-or-break 2022 contract season (PFF grade of 61.1)

Has Risner been horrible? No, not really. Has he been great? Also no. He’s been pretty middle-of-the-road performance-wise. But in a season where the Broncos’ offensive line was the worst-performing unit, the team could be looking to clean-house along the offensive line (minus Quinn Meinerz of course.)

There is always the possibility of Risner signing a short-term deal, but I can’t see the Broncos pursuing a significant deal with Risner unless it’s at some sort of “hometown discount” price.

Because of a potential offensive line cleanout, and the fact that Risner will most likely desire a long-term contract, it is looking like Risner could be on his way out of Denver.