In terms of bad luck, it doesn’t seem fair if Denver Broncos defensive lineman Matt Henningsen is truly hurt as badly as it appears.
Henningsen, who missed all of the 2025 season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the preseason, was carted off the field on Friday at training camp with what appeared to be another severe injury.
“Broncos Matt Henningsen was just carted off the field after being in a lot of pain,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer wrote on his official X account on Friday. “DJ Jones, who has what looks like a vet day, went in with him. And they had a quick conversation. Can’t report what was said. it doesn’t look good at all to be honest. Was having a really good camp.”
“Broncos DL Matt Henningsen is getting carted off the field and to the locker room at camp,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote on X. “Looked visibly emotional. Really tough if it’s any kind of serious injury for Henningsen. Missed all of last year w torn Achilles and was having a really nice camp. Just shone on DL reps yesterday. Didn’t see when injury happened but was during individual drills.”
“Matt Henningsen being carted into the team facility,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on X. “Head in his hands. Hate to see that. He was putting together a nice camp after rupturing his Achilles almost exactly a year ago.”
Matt Henningsen Tore Achilles in Joint Practice
If Henningsen is truly hurt as bad as we think, it’s a cruel twist of fate that it happened just 1 day before the 1st anniversary of tearing his Achilles tendon in a joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers on August 8, 2025.
Henningsen was a 6th-round pick (No. 206 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft and played in all 34 regular-season games his first 2 seasons but spent 2024 on Denver’s practice squad.
“The Denver Broncos may have lost one of their more dependable, hard-working defensive linemen for the season as the team fears Matt Henningsen suffered an Achilles injury during the team’s joint practice Thursday with the San Francisco 49ers, a source tells 9NEWS,” Mike Kliis wrote on August 8, 2025.
Matt Henningsen Went From Big Ten to Broncos
Henningsen, 6-foot-4 and 289 pounds, was named All-Big Ten in his final year at Wisconsin in 2021, then tested through the roof at Wisconsin’s Pro Day with a 37.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot broad jump.
“Face-up defender who fires off the ball with a rock ’em, sock ’em mentality that works for him and against him,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation in 2022. “Henningsen is a phone booth brawler … He offers a worthy challenge to the blocker in front of him, but he fails to play with much awareness for the play design at times. He’s not girthy enough to fit as a three-technique but possesses the traits and toughness to compete for a roster spot as a rotational 3-4 end.”
Broncos Veteran Appears to Suffer Devastating Training Camp Injury