Atlanta Falcons interior offensive lineman Matt Hennessy missed another practice on Monday. The good news is Hennessy isn’t expected to be out long term. But Falcons head coach Arthur Smith wasn’t able to project an exact return date for the offensive lineman either.
Smith called Hennessy day-to-day in his press conference on July 31.
“We’re just going to see day to day,” Smith said. “We’ll just treat it and see how the week goes. Sometimes guys get other opinions. We’re just going to be safe with it and see where it goes.”
Hennessy is competing with second-round rookie Matthew Bergeron for the starting left guard job. On July 28, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein reported Hennessy walked off the practice field “very gingerly.” He also received treatment from trainers.
After practice that day, Smith told the media that Hennessy would undergo an MRI. Smith also said the offensive lineman’s “flare up” from Friday’s practice was related to an ailment he sustained late last season.
With Hennessy sidelined, Bergeron has received more first-team repetitions at left guard the past few days. That will continue to be the case, but Smith stressed in front of the media that Hennessy will return to practice as soon as he’s ready.
“We appreciate the fact that we can get Bergeron a lot of reps,” Smith said. “A majority of them against Davy [Onyemata] and Grady [Jarrett] and hopefully that accelerates his growth. But if our guys can go, Matt [Hennessy] is trying to win a job. But we’ve got to be smart, and he’s got to make the best decision and we’ve got to do what’s right for the team.”
The Falcons drafted Bergeron at No. 38 overall in the second round of this year’s draft. Atlanta selected Hennessy at No. 78 overall in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.
In three NFL seasons, Hennessy has started 22 games. During 2022, Hennessy took 157 offensive snaps, all of which came at left guard.
