Falcons Place OL Matt Hennessy on Injured Reserve
The injury hits just keep on coming for the Atlanta Falcons, especially on the offensive line.
After putting starting left guard Elijah Wilkinson on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury, the Falcons started backup center Matt Hennessy in his place for Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers - but he sustained a knee injury during the game, and after trying to come back in, was ultimately ruled out.
On Monday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith declared Hennessy out for Thursday night's game versus the Carolina Panthers and spoke in an unoptimistic tone regarding his status moving forward, but he admitted the team was still awaiting final results.
Those results came Tuesday and evidently didn't provide positive news, as the Falcons placed Hennessy on injured reserve.
A third-round pick out of Temple in 2020, Hennessy started all 17 games at center a season ago but didn't put a strangle hold on the job. He lost out to Drew Dalman after an offseason-long battle and made his season debut against Los Angeles.
With Wilkinson and Hennessy both out, the Falcons will likely resort to Colby Gossett at left guard moving forward. Gossett received the start in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks when Wilkinson was out due to a personal matter and has been more active than fellow swing reserve lineman Chuma Edoga.
The injuries also open an opportunity for practice squad center Ryan Neuzil, who can play all three interior offensive line positions. He was elevated for Sunday's game against the Chargers and could see a similar result Thursday night.
Hennessy's move to the injured reserve opened up a roster spot, which the Falcons chose to use on safety Jovante Moffatt, who's been elevated from the practice squad each of the last two weeks, largely seeing action on special teams.
With veteran safety Erik Harris out of practice once more Tuesday, Moffatt has a chance to be Atlanta's No. 3 safety against Carolina.
The injury-plagued Falcons will kick off at 8:15 p.m. inside Bank of America Stadium, looking to defeat the Panthers for the second time in 11 days.
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