Falcons' Hennessy Suffers Injury; What's Next?

The injury bug has bit Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matt Hennessy.

According to The Athletic's Josh Kendall, Hennessy suffered a leg injury in Friday's practice but was able to walk off the field on his own power.

When speaking with reporters following practice, coach Arthur Smith said that Hennessy's injury is “something he dealt with at the end of last year." Hennessy will have an MRI later today or tomorrow and an update is expected to come in due time.

A third-round pick in 2020, Hennessy started all 17 games in 2021 but was limited to just 11 games last season - an unfortunate theme for the Falcons at left guard - with four different players taking starting throughout the year (Elijah Wilkinson, Chuma Edoga and Colby Gossett). 

With the Falcons' left guard woes, Atlanta traded up to select Matthew Bergeron with the No. 38 pick in April's NFL Draft. With Hennessy down, Bergeron took the remainder of first-team reps at left guard for the practice, per Kendall.

A closed door for someone is an open door for another, and the second-round rookie Bergeron may have a change to fully claim the starting spot on the offensive line if Hennessy misses a considerable amount of time during crucial training camp reps.