Falcons' Matt Hennessy Injury Update: Return to Training Camp Imminent?

Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matt Hennessy's career has been far from straightforward, and it appears his path to winning the starting left guard spot will follow a similar trajectory.

Hennessy, entering his fourth season in Atlanta, began training camp with the first-team offensive line, earning the nod over rookie second-round pick Matthew Bergeron.

But during practice Friday, Hennessy went down with a leg injury, ultimately leaving the field at IBM Performance Center under his own power.

After the session, Falcons coach Arthur Smith announced that Hennessy would be getting an MRI, a concerning notion for the former third-round pick out of Temple.

But on Saturday, Smith shared a positive development regarding Hennessy's MRI, dubbing it "good news" and that the team anticipates him back "sooner than later," with a return to practice next week the current target.

With Hennessy out, Bergeron has been elevated to the starting group and drew praise from Smith for how he's handled the transition - but nonetheless, the plan from the start was to have Hennessy receive a majority of the first-team reps early in camp.

However, it appears Hennessy's injury isn't serious, a particularly welcomed sign considering he spent seven weeks on injured reserve last year due to a knee injury, which occurred after he was thrust into the starting left guard spot following an injury to incumbent Elijah Wilkinson.

Now in the mix at guard for the second consecutive year, Hennessy is likely to return to the starting lineup once healthy - which should be much sooner than early signs may have indicated.

Can the 25-year-old Hennessy hold off Bergeron? The answer will be in soon enough - but Atlanta's early prognosis inspires confidence that on-field performance, not injury fate, will be the deciding factor.