Denver Broncos DT Matt Henningsen reliving a familiar nightmare with repeat Achilles injury at 2026 training camp
A brutal injury development for a Denver Broncos draft pick at training camp. One year after suffering the same injury in training camp, DT Matt Henningsen has torn his Achilles.
The Denver Broncos suffered a substantial loss to their defensive line on Friday when defensive tackle Matt Henningsen went down with another season-ending Achilles injury at 2026 NFL training camp.
The 6-foot-3 and 291-pound Henningsen ruptured the Achilles in his opposite foot, nearly one year after suffering the same injury during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers. The 27-year-old, a former sixth-round pick out of the University of Wisconsin in the 2022 NFL Draft, was carted off the field in Friday’s practice.
This is a common injury pattern for players who suffer an Achilles tear on one side. The compensatory stress placed on the opposite leg during recovery can lead to the same injury later in a player’s career.
Henningsen missed the entirety of the 2025 season after his first Achilles rupture. In his first two NFL seasons, he played in all 34 games, amassing 40 tackles, two pass breakups, two quarterback hits, and a sack.
The Broncos re-signed him to a one-year contract worth $1.145 million back in March, banking on the idea that he could return and push for a reserve or rotational role. The thought was that his contributions could eventually turn into something more substantial as the season progressed and he continued to work his way back. Instead, Henningsen now faces a second consecutive season-ending injury, and the road to recovery ahead certainly puts his career with Denver at risk.
Broncos have defensive line depth to sustain the loss
Henningsen had been competing with a number of players for a rotational role behind Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach. That group includes defensive tackles D.J. Jones, Sai’vion Jones, rookie Tyler Onyedim, Jordan Jackson, Jordan Miller, and Eyioma Uwazurike. Those players will now have a clearer path to the 53-man roster and a rotational spot along the interior.
The Broncos already lost defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to Tennessee in free agency this offseason, so depth along the line was already a talking point heading into camp. After placing Henningsen on injured reserve, Denver will have an open spot on its 90-man offseason roster to sign a player. Whether that addition will be an interior defensive lineman remains to be seen. The players already in-house will likely slot in a bit higher now that Henningsen is no longer able to participate.
For Henningsen, this back-to-back stretch of season-ending injuries raises serious questions about whether he’ll get another opportunity in Denver.
