Getty Dalton Risner coming out of the tunnel in pregame.
Week 1 of the NFL season is fast approaching, and by kickoff on September 8 rosters are going to look a lot different.
One NFL writer thinks the Denver Broncos should try to trade one of their starting offensive guards.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report named one player from each NFL team who should be placed on the trading block. For the Broncos, Kay thinks Denver should trade starting left guard Dalton Risner.
Kay referenced an August 3 article by NFL.com’s Eric Edholm saying Risner’s outlook “seems a little murky” because Denver switched to a zone-blocking scheme. Kay speculated that Risner could lose his job in training camp.
He wrote, “That move, along with guard Netane Muti seeing first-string reps in practice, could result in the incumbent starting left guard being dealt. … With no contract extension in place, the Broncos could opt to forge ahead with the younger Muti taking over as the starter and Risner on the block.”
Risner is entering his final year of his rookie deal and will make close to $2.8 million for the 2022 season.
Second-year guard Quinn Meinerz is set to become the starting right guard for Denver, but early in training camp, Muti got some reps with the first-team offense playing both guard positions.
It seems a little unlikely that the Broncos would move on from Risner right now, but general manager George Paton loves his draft picks and the Broncos only own five picks in next year’s draft.
Risner More Valuable Than Fans May Think
As a rookie, Risner has started nearly every game at left guard. In 2021, Risner missed just two games due to injury, but he’s been more valuable than fans may realize.
Denver’s left tackle Garett Bolles struggled early in his career with holding penalties along with parts of the playbook. Two years later the Broncos drafted Risner to place him next to their hopeful franchise left tackle. One year later, Bolles became an All-Pro.
Sources have told Heavy that Risner, even as a rookie, was not only one of the smartest players along the offensive line, but he had to help Bolles along the way. After every drive, Bolles would talk with former offensive line coach Mike Munchak and at times Risner while on the sideline. Those talks have turned into a nice bond between Risner and Bolles.
Update on Muti
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett mentioned during his August 15 press conference that Muti “had a procedure, so he’s gonna be [out] a couple more weeks.”
Hackett first announced on August 6 that Muti was “being evaluated for a knee injury” and hadn’t practiced with the team that day, according to the Broncos’ website, which noted “he had not previously missed time with the injury.”
According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, Muti had arthroscopic knee surgery.
Following up on Nathaniel Hackett presser, OG Netane Muti recently had arthroscopic knee surgery. No timetable given. He was competing at RG and LG. Meinerz and Risner the starters there with veteran Graham Glasgow able to swing. #9sports
Klis also added that Muti had the surgery last week and should be out three to four weeks, which makes his return around the first or second game of the regular season.
Graham Glasgow started the first preseason game at right guard while Quinn Bailey started at left guard.