New Cowboys Free Agent Signing is Already a Disappointment for Dallas

One of the Dallas Cowboys' free-agent signings is already a big disappointment, but the reason why is out of the veteran's control.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

We aren't even in training camp yet and the Dallas Cowboys have already lost a backup offensive lineman for the season.

The Cowboys placed backup offensive lineman Matt Hennessy on injured reserve earlier this month, which means he will miss the entire 2026 season.

In the second week of OTAs, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that Hennessy had suffered a neck injury that required surgery and was expected to land on the PUP list.

Clearly Hennessy's injury was more serious than initially thought and now the Cowboys will be without a key backup for the entire offseason, which is no doubt a disappointing turn of events.

Why Hennessy's injury matters

San Francisco 49ers center Matt Hennessy. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Cowboys know full well just how important it is to have good backups upfront. After all, Dallas saw both Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe miss a chunk of games last season.

Hennessy was signed to replace Brock Hoffman, who provided a reliable backup at both guard and center before he departed in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.

The Cowboys still have T.J. Bass as their top backup at guard, but Dallas now has to decide who is going to step in at center if Beebe deals with injury again in 2026.

And if there's injuries at both guard and center at any point, the Cowboys will have one less reliable veteran to step into one of those spots.

Who's the next man up?

Dallas Cowboys guard T.J. Bass. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

It would appear to be T.J. Bass, who was getting first- and second-team reps at center during the spring.

The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins reports that Hennessy's injury "pushed T.J. Bass to backup center" and Bass "took snaps with the first and second team offense during OTA practices."

Bass has never played center, either in college or the pros, but the good news is the Cowboys have a history of converting a guard to center, something we saw them do with Beebe when he won the center competition in 2024.

The bigger concern is the Cowboys' bench being thinned out.

As we said, there is now one less reliable veteran off the bench, which could be a problem if Dallas experiences issues at guard and center simultaneously.

Dallas signed one of their former practice squad players and UFL offensive lineman Chris Glaser to give them another option, and rookie Drew Shelton was supposed to get looks at guard this offseason, so he might be another option.

But the Cowboys should continue to explore their options through training camp to make sure they have an adequate second backup for the interior.