When the Minnesota Vikings made the move to re-sign left guard Dalton Risner, the prevailing thought was that he would be the starter. After all, he was the starter in the second half of the season for the Vikings once Ezra Cleveland got injured and then traded.
When his contract details were released, that thought changed. His salary cap hit will be a paltry $2.4 million, which is less than what the Vikings gave him last season. On the practice field, it was clear what the pecking order was and SKOR North's Judd Zulgad has the details from practice.
"Dalton Risner has been reading re-signed by the Vikings he was here today, but when it comes to Dalton, he is not or was not starting left guard within the first team left guard was Blake Brandel. Who was going to be the guy to replace Risner. Now, will that hold? We'll have to wait and see but there's definitely a competition coming up at left guard."
Head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke after practice about Risner and said it was about building a competitive environment.
LEFT GUARD NEWS: Kevin O'Connell said the point of re-signing Dalton Risner was "to create a very competitive situation" with Blake Brandel. Said the Vikings have made it a priority to build more OL depth and referenced having a "farm system" for offensive linemen over time.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) June 4, 2024
It's objectively good to bring in competition at the position. Guard isn't a high priority position on the offense but you need to have someone capable playing there. Brandel and Risner have both proven to be capable at the position.
Will Risner earn his old job back? We will find out over time, but he's going to have to surpass Brandel to get it done.
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