Dalton Risner ready to return to football, ‘have a good year’

DENVER Guard Dalton Risner started all 16 games of the regular season and played 96 percent of the team’s snaps as a rookie last season.

Now that the planned opening of the Broncos training camp is approaching, he wants to take a few more.

“With everything going on in this world, we are expected to go back on July 28 to play football,” Risner said Thursday, “and that’s what we hope we can do. We haven’t been able to do OTAs meeting the new additions to the team has not been around our coaches and our teammates Of course we want to Of course the world has to be safe before We can do that.

“But man, we just really want to play football. I am ready to go out again and have a good year. ”

For the Kansas State product, which is expected to start again at the Left Guard, a “heck of a year” involves more than personal accomplishments. He identified a Pro Bowl roster and All-Pro nod as two of his “huge goals,” but claimed the individual success paled in comparison to his hopes for the team.

“My goal above all is a Super Bowl,” said Risner. “Team goals are much more important than individual goals. We don’t have a team full of boys trying to achieve individual goals. We have a team full of boys who want to win a Super Bowl. That is different above all else. But if we can get to the Super Bowl , then win the Super Bowl, [then] Pro Bowl and All-Pro are absolutely huge goals of mine. I’m done with that All-Rookie thing. I didn’t even like that. We have bigger things to do this year. ‘

The Broncos added to their receiving corps with their first two picks from the 2020 NFL Draft, and John Elway made an impression when he signed on to roll back Melvin Gordon III for a two-year deal. However, additions to the internal offensive line can make just as much sense.

Elway and Co. Guard Graham Glasgow beckoned to a four-year contract, and Risner said he is excited to learn with the fifth-year veteran.

“Graham is a great guy,” said Risner. “That’s a man who just signed his second contract. He’s been in the NFL for a while. I think he can lead the attacking line of the Broncos a lot this year. I want to lead there with him. I’m going to learn a lot from him, and I hope Graham can learn a lot from me. I hope we can start practicing and show each other what we both do. I can watch movie about him, he can watch movie on me. He is a really good boy. He’s a boy we want in the room. He will give the team a lot of athletic ability, he is a consistent boy. You know it gets gritty, it’ll be good for us. “

The Broncos also added to the middle position as they selected LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III with the 83rd overall choice.

“Lloyd is a very smart child,” said Risner. “I have to have OTA meetings with him. I have to see what he stands for. He is someone who cares, he is passionate about the game. He is intelligent. You can tell he’s a brain of the football game, and he’s going to have been able to do that hard. I can see that. It doesn’t matter who’s on either side of me. It does not matter. We’ll get it right this year with the Denver Broncos. And I think the coaches, Mr Elway, have done a fantastic job of getting the right people around us to be successful. “

The spot on the other side of Risner may attract more attention than any during the training camp. Three-year-old starter Garett Bolles and Elijah Wilkinson will compete for the starting left job and Risner expects a ‘great competition’.

“Both boys are my brothers,” said Risner. “Garett is the first man to ever speak to me from the Denver Broncos. He was at my concept party. He treated me like a little brother. I like to play next to that man. When I heard there was a competition, I was sure that Garett and Elijah are going to fight it out together. The best boy will play there and those who do not get that place will certainly have playing time next year.

“I think they’re going to work out, do a good job and we’ll see who wins.”