Falcons Bring Back Familiar Face, Sign Ex Starting Center

The Atlanta Falcons reinforced their offensive line with a pair of players who have starting experience in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons have reunited with center Matt Hennessy, who signed to the team's practice squad Tuesday. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The more the Atlanta Falcons' roster changes, the more it stays the same.

After placing starting center Drew Dalman on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain Tuesday afternoon, Atlanta made a pair of moves to bolster its offensive line depth -- elevating guard Elijah Wilkinson from the practice squad to the active roster and signing center Matt Hennessy to the practice squad.

Hennessy, a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2020, was the team's starting center 2021 before losing the role to Dalman. He played in 41 games across three seasons with Atlanta, drawing two starts in 2020 and three more in 2022.

The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Hennessy suffered a knee injury during training camp in 2023 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve in the middle of August. He spent the 2024 offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles before being released at the end of the preseason.

Part of the reason Hennessy started in 2022 was because of Wilkinson, who won Atlanta's starting left guard job during the summer. Wilkinson started all nine games in which he played but missed eight others, seven of which came due to a knee injury. The other was attributed to a personal matter.

Wilkinson initially returned to the Falcons on Aug. 29, when he signed a practice squad contract. He has not appeared in games thus far this season.

Much has changed since the last time Hennessy and Wilkinson took the field as Falcons. There's a new head coach and offensive coordinator, as Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson have replaced Arthur Smith and Dave Ragone, respectively.

But within the offensive line room, plenty remains the same.

Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford is in his fourth season with the Falcons, and Ledford worked with both Hennessy and Wilkinson. Both players have made starts alongside left Jake Matthews, right guard Chris Lindstrom and right tackle Kaleb McGary.

Yet as Atlanta prepares for a 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, neither Hennessy nor Wilkinson appears likely to start. Instead, backup Ryan Neuzil, who replaced Dalman in the second quarter of Sunday night's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, is expected to get the nod.

Regardless, Hennessy and Wilkinson are back in Atlanta -- but the Falcons (1-2) are hoping their on-field results don't mirror that of the past.