Falcons guard Matt Hennessy out for season with apparent knee injury

Updated Aug. 16, 2023 6:50 p.m. ET

Associated Press

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Guard Matt Hennessy is done for the season after the Atlanta Falcons placed him on injured reserve Wednesday with an apparent knee issue.

Hennessy, who has played 41 games with 22 starts over the past three seasons with the Falcons, was expected to battle for the No. 1 spot at left guard during the preseason.

His injury would seemingly hand the starting job to rookie Matthew Bergeron, a second-round pick from Syracuse.

Hennessy went down July 28 — the third day of training camp — while blocking on a running play. He walked off the field with a trainer but hasn't practiced since.

Coach Arthur Smith has declined to specify the nature of the injury, other than to say it was related to something Hennessy dealt with a year ago. The lineman went on the injured list last November with a left kneecap ailment.

Hennessy also served as Atlanta's backup center, a position he had started at before losing the job to Drew Dalman a season ago. That prompted a move to left guard, with an eye toward getting Hennessy back on the field.

Ryan Neuzil could serve as Dalman's backup, drawing praise for his improvement after spending much of the past two seasons on Atlanta's practice squad.

A third-round pick out of Temple in 2020, Hennessy is in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie.

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