Denver Broncos’ defensive linchpin, Matt Henningsen, finds himself grappling with yet another unfortunate setback.
At 27, Henningsen was taken off the field on a cart during a preseason practice session on Friday. Early reports suggest a potential Achilles tendon tear.
While the Broncos have not released an official comment on the injury, Mike Klis of KUSA-TV confirmed the likelihood of an Achilles tear.
This incident comes precisely a year after Henningsen experienced a career-stalling Achilles tear in a practice with the 49ers. Notably, this recent injury affected the other leg, according to Klis.
Should the diagnosis be confirmed as a torn Achilles, Henningsen faces the prospect of missing yet another entire season.
Henningsen was competing for a rotational role behind lineman Zach Allen, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach prior to his injury.
After spending five NCAA seasons at Wisconsin, Henningsen was drafted in the sixth round by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He appeared in all 17 games both as a rookie in 2022 and in the following season before being waived and subsequently re-signed to Denver’s practice squad.
In those two seasons, Henningsen has notched 40 tackles, a sack and two pass defenses.
Since the 2023 season, however, Henningsen has yet to play an NFL snap.
Henningsen re-signed with the Broncos in March, and head coach Sean Payton said that he has been performing “really well” in practice.
“Well, you saw the reaction [to the interception],” Payton told reporters when asked about Henningsen in June. “He does a great job of seeing those screens or underneath throws. He’s doing really well. He’s exceptionally smart.
“He has great respect from his teammates. He knows the technique and the defense well. In a position that gets rotated and plays a lot, he’s going to be competing for one of those spots.”