Falcons Coach Explains OL Signing

NFL coaches often say games are won in the trenches -- and the Atlanta Falcons have no shortage of bodies up front, especially on their 11-man offensive line.

The Falcons started the season with nine offensive linemen, went to 10 a few weeks back and added one more to their tally Tuesday, signing practice squad interior lineman Matt Hennessy to the 53-man roster.

Atlanta initially signed Hennessy to its practice squad after starting center Drew Dalman suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs and went on injured reserve. Hennessy has been promoted to the active roster in each of the three games since, serving as a backup to Dalman's fill-in, Ryan Neuzil.

But practice squad players are allowed only three promotions per season, meaning Hennessy was out of flexes. This left the Falcons with three options: release Hennessy, sign him to the active roster or keep him on the practice squad, essentially vacating a potential gameday promotion spot.

"You've got to make a decision," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday. "Dalman's still down as our starting center. Neuzil been out there working for us. Matt has been put in that position to go out there and back up to the backup center.

"And we had to make that decision to put him on the roster this week."

Hennessy's promotion came at the expense of safety and special teams ace Micah Abernathy, who was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a knee injury suffered in the first quarter of Sunday's 38-20 win over the Carolina Panthers.

"We used that Micah Abernathy spot to put (Hennessy) up to get him ready to go in case we need him if anything were to happen," Morris said.

Hennessy, a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2020, was the team's starting center 2021 before losing the role to Dalman. He played in 41 games across three seasons with Atlanta, drawing two starts in 2020 and three more in 2022.

The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Hennessy suffered a knee injury during training camp in 2023 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve in the middle of August. He spent the 2024 offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles before being released at the end of the preseason.

Despite being active for three games this season, Hennessy has yet to see the field.

His next opportunity to do so comes at 1 p.m. Sunday, when the Falcons (4-2) host the Seattle Seahawks (3-3) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.