Before the Patriots had to finalize their initial 53-man roster for the 2025 season, there were a lot of concerns regarding a lack of depth across nearly all positions. That was particularly worrisome with the offensive line, as Mike Vrabel made it clear that they were far from determining who the starting lineup would be, yet they released several linemen ahead of the cutdown deadline.
Because they still have the most cap space to utilize for the upcoming season, there was some belief that they would attempt to claim players hitting the waiver wire, or even acquire several players who would become free agents after being cut.
The hope was they'd go after some of the more prominent tackle names, only for them to ignore the group altogether.
Although they signed some decent talent to join the team, most notably backup quarterback Tommy DeVito, missing out on players who could've brought some solid production to the team, even if they weren't a starter, looks like a massive miss for the Patriots, especially when a guy like Dalton Risner was available.
There's plenty of concern surrounding the Patriots' offensive line ahead of Week 1
The veteran guard was released by the Vikings earlier this week and immediately visited with the Bengals. He inevitably signed a deal with the AFC contenders, who have long been looking to boost the protection on their quarterback.
Given how stellar Risner has been throughout his career, with zero sacks over the past two seasons, the Patriots could have seriously benefited from hosting him for a visit, if not making him an offer.
Sources: The #Bengals are signing former #Vikings G Dalton Risner.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 27, 2025
Risner has allowed zero sacks over the last two regular seasons, per PFF. A proven and respected veteran lands in Cincinnati to help protect Joe Burrow. https://t.co/YOpmVadY1C pic.twitter.com/uImmOhawKK
They might not necessarily need help at guard, more so at right guard, since Mike Onwenu is expected to take that position over again. They haven't solidified who will start on the left side, which could have been Risner.
That's even more of a reason to have made the call, despite rookie Jared Wilson succeeding at the position. He was initially drafted to be the Patriots' next starting center, which also hasn't been made official yet, so Risner could have easily come in to be their next left guard.
He would also provide them with security at both positions because he possesses the versatility to be a swing tackle, which is something they did not have the benefit of throughout the 2024 season. Instead, they'll have to look elsewhere for any further help, if they still consider it an issue.