Dalton Risner explains why he wanted to re-sign with the Bengals

Dalton Risner was full of gratitude sitting at the news conference podium at Paycor Stadium on March 2.

Risner, joined by his wife Whitney, held court for 20 minutes with local media members after signing a one-year contract with the Bengals. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal to be worth up to $5 million, citing his agents as the source.

“I could go on and on about every reason about why I wanted to come back,” Risner said as part of his opening statement.

The marriage between Risner and the Bengals turned out to be one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 2025 season in Cincinnati.

When the Bengals called Risner with interest to sign him last August, he was living in Parish, Florida, training at his house and hoping to get a call from an NFL team.

Risner went unsigned last offseason. After spending the 2023-24 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, he found himself without a team. He began his career in 2019 with Denver, where he was a second-round draft pick.

It was a “heartbreaking” time for the Risners.

“It was a very hard season of our life,” Whitney Risner said. “And when we look back, we were sitting there for months waiting on a phone call that just never came. I don’t think our marriage would be where it is today without all of these really tough times that we’ve had to get through together.”  

Then came the call from the Bengals and the start of a new chapter in Cincinnati.

The interior of the Bengals’ offensive line needed help. Cincinnati hoped to fix its guard spot with the signing of Lucas Patrick, but it didn’t pan out how it hoped in training camp.

Patrick battled an injury during the preseason and when he was available, his performance wasn’t good enough. The Bengals needed a steady presence in between center Ted Karris and right tackle Amarius Mims.

Despite little interest and the seven months passing by, Risner didn’t stop preparing. He trained in his home gym in Florida and refused to give up on himself.

“I can’t tell you guys how many times I woke up at 6 a.m. and went and did the same routine monotonous workout in my home gym and did that for an hour and a half,” Dalton Risner said. “Grabbed the same pair of cleats, walked down in my little community, and I get to this little piece of grass and I ask myself the question of, ‘why am I doing this?’”

Risner didn't believe he was done playing in the NFL.

And he wasn’t.

The Bengals signed Risner to a one-year deal on Aug. 28. Cincinnati kicked off its season in Cleveland on Sept. 7.

Risner hadn’t practiced with the Bengals for more than one week before he was thrust into game action against the Browns.

Patrick suffered an injury early in the season opener, and Risner went in and finished the game for the Bengals at right guard.

He started the next week when the Bengals played host to the Jaguars and didn’t play well. He was benched after two and a half games in Cincinnati.

But once again, Risner didn’t give up on himself.

Risner bounced in and out of the starting lineup and didn’t settle in until Nov. 23 when the Bengals played host to the Patriots. He started at right guard where he kept his job for the final seven games.

When Risner re-entered the starting lineup in November, he played much better, and Cincinnati’s offensive line started to take shape. By the end of the 2025 season, the Bengals’ offensive line was playing the best it ever has under head coach Zac Taylor.

Risner entered the offseason as the only starter from last year’s offensive line to not be under contract for the upcoming season.

The Bengals knew they wanted Risner to return and to keep the group together. Risner felt the same way.

"I didn't care to hit free agency to see if someone would sign me to a two-or three-year deal, or give me more cash per year,” Risner said. “I wanted to be a Cincinnati Bengal. ... The Bengals did a lot of compromising; I did a lot of compromising."

Cincinnati enters a critical offseason not having to worry about its offensive line for the first time in years. All five starters are under contract, and the Bengals are banking on their continuity on offense to carry them in a wide-open AFC North.

The new league year begins in the NFL at 4 p.m. March 11, and roster turnover is inevitable.

And after a year full of ups and downs, Whitney and Dalton Risner get to sit back and enjoy their offseason knowing they have a home in Cincinnati for at least one more year.

"I truly feel like I've never been seen or valued like I have here,” Risner said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dalton Risner explains why he wanted to re-sign with the Bengals