OL Coach Chris Foerster Explains Why the 49ers Signed Matt Hennessy

The 49ers surprisingly signed veteran center Matt Hennessy off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad to a two-year deal this week.

Oct 10, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) and center Matt Hennessy (61) celebrate after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets during an NFL International Series aame at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Falcons defeated the Jets 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers surprisingly signed veteran center Matt Hennessy off the Atlanta Falcons practice squad to a two-year deal this week.

On Friday, offensive line coach Chris Foerster was asked about Hennessy. Here's what Foerster said, courtesy of the 49ers' p.r. department.

“Well, the draft, obviously. The one good thing with Coach Shanahan and what we've done here is that we've always been very involved in the draft with John Lynch and the personnel department. And so you've done, you always have a big list of guys. I don't remember if I did Matt when I was here, or I was somewhere, I don't remember when Matt, I don't remember Matt's year off the top of my head. But I remember talking with Mike McDaniel about him and talking with Kyle. We all kind of looked at him and said, ‘Man, we really like this guy.’ It's like when Garrett Bradbury came out, the kid in Minnesota, same thing, a good fit for our system, a good player for our system. And Matt was that player. We really had high hopes for him. They took him in Atlanta, he was a good fit for them, but then they drafted another good fit, which was Drew Dalman from Stanford. And then they put him at center, they moved Matt to guard. Matt's more of a center than a guard, so whatever's happened with his crew then. So it's really exciting and because of the putting guys on IR, we're able to claim, you're not necessarily getting guys off waivers that are tryout players, you're getting draft picks. Charlie Heck was a pick, Matt Hennessy was a pick. You're getting some guys in here that are legitimate. They were drafted players with high stock in the draft. So Matt's been a guy that we've always liked, is a good fit for us. And meeting him, I have not been disappointed at all. He is a good fit.”

MY TAKE: Foerster talks about Hennessy like I would talk about a cool shirt I found at a second-hand store for a nickel. Just because Hennessy was a third-round pick doesn't mean he's good. There's a reason he was on the Falcons practice squad after starting for them a few seasons ago. Injuries have taken their toll on his career.

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