Cincinnati Bengals' Dalton Risner and Ted Karras Race in Flying Pig 5K

With the NFL Draft over, the Cincinnati Bengals now officially have their 2026 roster, barring any leftover trades or free-agent signings. A highly anticipated 10th overall pick for Cincinnati turned into a two-time All-Pro defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, further proving general manager Duke Tobin’s commitment to winning now. 

While there are still undoubtedly questions heading into the season, several holes were filled. One of the most important question marks was the offensive line, which improved late in 2025 but was shaky at best for the majority of the season. Tobin’s vision for improving the line was to maintain continuity and chemistry for a group that proved it could get better with time. Ci

He fulfilled this vision by re-signing offensive guard Dalton Risner to a one-year deal, as well as signing a two-year extension for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. The closing group from 2025 is committed to protecting superstar quarterback Joe Burrow; hopefully, this will be enough to allow him to play more than eight games, like he did last year. 

As part of an offseason bonding activity, Risner was asked by center Ted Karras to run the Queen City Running 5K race of Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Weekend. The two decided to put a wager on the race between themselves, with the loser having to pay $3,100 to a charity of their choosing ($1k for each mile). While Risner wasn’t initially enticed to do the run, he changed his mind after making the charity bet and hearing how influential the weekend is to the city of Cincinnati. 

“For a good cause, of course I’ll come running,” said Risner. “It was a no-brainer. I’d never run 3.1 miles, so I wasn’t overly thrilled about that, but when [Karras] said it was going to these organizations that were making a difference, that’s what made it a no-brainer.”

After predicting he would be victorious based on a previous time of around 29 minutes, Karras was beaten by Risner by over four minutes, with a time of just under 27 minutes. As a result, Karras will be donating to “The Cincy Hat” foundation, created by Karras himself. He wore a special hat during the run commemorating the 2026 Flying Pig. 

Different bonding moments come in all different sorts, but they are essential to great team chemistry. It’s easy for someone who isn’t closely related to sports to misunderstand how important good chemistry is to team success, but it consistently proves to have a significant impact. Knowing teammates to a personal extent off the field allows them to better understand each other on the field, providing a spark that can give them an advantage against players who may not know or understand their tendencies, mannerisms, or secret calls.