One of the top free agent offensive linemen available has been making visits around the league this week, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the visits he is considering making, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on X.
“Free agent guard Dalton Risner, who worked out for the Bengals today, will also visit the Seahawks, per source. Visiting the Steelers also a consideration. Wants to take multiple visits before making a decision,” Fowler wrote.
Risner was a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent four years in Denver before signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. A back injury before the 2024 season cut into the start of his season and potentially hampered his play last season, but he’s started 81 games since entering the league in 2019. At 30 years old, Risner is still relatively young with plenty of experience to add to an OL room around the NFL.
The Steelers’ starting five offensive linemen are set entering a season for the first time in many years, but their depth is still questionable. Spencer Anderson is their backup guard, but they could stand to upgrade their depth with additional experience.
The report that he is considering a visit to Pittsburgh indicates the Steelers are poking around at depth options for the offensive line. Notably, Steelers OG Isaac Seumalo has barely practiced at training camp this year as he entered on the NFI list with a soft-tissue injury.
Risner measured at 6046, 312 pounds with 34-inch arms coming out of K-State. He ran a 5.3-second 40-yard dash and put up 23 reps on the bench press.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 67.0 overall grade last season, the second-best of his career, including a 57.4 run-blocking grade and 76.2 pass-blocking grade. He was charted as allowing 16 total pressures and zero sacks in the 10 games he played last season. He has extensive experience as both a left and right guard at the NFL level.
If his visit happens, we should hear more about it in the next few days.
