The Dallas Cowboys signed Matt Hennessy to a one-year contract in March worth around the league minimum to compete for the backup center role. Hennessy has started 24 games throughout his six-year NFL career, including 21 at center. He spent the past 1.5 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers following stints with the Atlanta Falcons (2020 to 2023 and part of 2024) and Philadelphia Eagles (2024 offseason). He started two games at center in San Francisco and logged more than 170 offensive snaps in 2025.
Hennessy recently underwent neck surgery to repair a disk injury, putting his availability for the start of the 2026 season in jeopardy.
The Dallas Cowboys shut down a key backup O-lineman for the 2026 season
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers center Matt Hennessy (61) during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
According to Todd Archer of ESPN NFL Nation, the Cowboys have placed Matt Hennessy on injured reserve, ending his 2026 season. As Archer noted, the team had initially planned to place him on the active/PUP list at the start of training camp before reverting him to the reserve list during roster cuts. In that scenario, Hennessy could have returned this season after missing at least the first four games.
The Cowboys are placing veteran OL Matt Hennessy on season-ending injured reserve, according to sources. He recently had neck surgery, and the Cowboys were preparing to have him open the season on PUP but opted to move him to IR.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) June 18, 2026
Who is favored to win the backup center job?
Reliable interior offensive lineman T.J. Bass is now the favorite to replace Brock Hoffman as the Cowboys’ backup center following Matt Hennessy’s season-ending injury. Bass has primarily played at left and right guard in the NFL but saw preseason playing time last year at center and has taken some reps recently during OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Another challenger is Nick Leverett. He has started 11 games throughout his six-year NFL career, including ten at left guard in 2022 and one at center in 2024. After spending his first four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Leverett bounced around with the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals in 2024, including in Arizona for the 2025 offseason, before joining the Dallas Cowboys practice squad in November 2025.