Jan. 25, 2026, 4:07 p.m. ET

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t waste much time getting one key free-agent back in the fold early in the offseason. 

But the next one the Bengals need to attack is even more obvious: Dalton Risner. 

Risner has already made it clear he wants to come back to the Bengals in 2026. And his contributions on the field make it justifiable if fans wonder what the holdup might be. 

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A late addition to the team, Risner stabilized when healthy for the season’s second half and finished ranked 23rd out of 80 guards in the NFL at PFF. 

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If the Bengals can get Risner back in the fold, they wouldn’t have to worry about the starting five of Orlando Brown, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Risner and Amarius Mims. 

The Bengals have hits on their hands with Fairchild and Mims. They’ll need to start thinking about the long-term behind Brown and Karras soon enough. That can happen in this draft, but there’s little reason to create a new immediate need by letting Risner walk. 

Risner coming back to the Bengals feels like a formality, which is nice. But fans probably wouldn’t mind if the team just got it done to provide some peace of mind.

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