The Cowboys went into the offseason trying to patch a few different holes, and on offense, one of those moves already looks like a dead end.
Dallas signed Matt Hennessy in March on a one-year, $1.4 million deal after he spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers. The idea was straightforward: bring in a veteran interior lineman who could provide depth and hold down the fort if needed. Hennessy fit that profile on paper, with 64 appearances and 24 career starts split between the Niners and Atlanta Falcons.
That plan has now been wiped out by injury. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported last month that Hennessy will miss the entire 2026 season because of a neck injury and has been placed on season-ending IR.
It’s a brutal turn for the player, first and foremost. Neck injuries are nothing to mess around with, and Hennessy’s health has to come before anything else.
But from the Cowboys’ perspective, the signing suddenly feels like one they never really got to use. Dallas was counting on veteran insurance along the offensive line, and instead the team is headed into 2026 without him.
The Cowboys’ offseason was largely shaped by the defense, which needed major changes after a historically poor 2025 season and ahead of the first year under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Still, the offense saw its share of additions too, including quarterback Sam Howell and wide receivers Tyler Johnson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Hennessy was supposed to be one of the quieter, practical pickups in that group. Instead, the Cowboys are left wondering what else they might have done with that roster spot had they known he wouldn’t be available at all in 2026.
In Other News...
Cowboys May Have Found A Bigger Weapon Than Fans Realized
Ryan Flournoy spent the kind of season that can quietly change a receivers trajectory, even if it did not start that way. After being released during roster cuts, he fought his way back into the picture and finished as the Cowboys third wide receiver by midseason, a notable climb for a player who entered the year buried on the depth chart. His final line, 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns, hints at how quickly he became more than a depth piece.
What makes Flournoy worth watching now is how much room there still seems to be for the growth to continue. He has looked sharper in spring practices, with more confidence in the offense and a better grasp of the playbook, and the numbers from his target profile suggest there is substance behind the rise. He was productive when the ball came his way and showed a knack for turning catches into extra yards, which is the sort of skill set that can earn a bigger role if the momentum carries into camp. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Camp Clues Already Point To Two Huge Answers
Junes OTAs and mandatory minicamp did not settle every Cowboys question, but they did sketch out a few important trends before training camp opens July 29. George Pickens has been in the building and working with Dak Prescott, while Tyler Guyton has been getting the first-team looks at left tackle, a strong sign the Cowboys are leaning toward him as the starter. On the defensive side, DeMarvion Overshown has handled the green dot work in practice, and the secondary continues to sort through several moving pieces.
There is still real competition in the back end, though, especially at the boundary corner spot opposite DaRon Bland, where Shavon Revel, Cobie Durant and Caelen Carson are all in the mix. Caleb Downs has also added more layers to his role, with work at slot cornerback, safety and on special teams, which suggests the Cowboys are still figuring out where his best fit is. Camp should bring more clarity, but for now the early clues already point toward a few answers Dallas was hoping to find. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Spent Big And Still Handed Dak A Week 1 Opening
The Giants have spent heavily this offseason, nearly $200 million by one count, with Paulson Adebo headlining the upgrades on the back end. Even so, the cornerback room still looks like a work in progress, and that matters because Dallas is set up to test it early. Adebo is viewed as the top corner, but he missed five games last season and the coverage numbers that followed him raise obvious questions about how steady that side of the field will be.
The bigger issue is what happens across from him, where the Giants still have not settled on a starter. Greg Newsome II, Colton Hood and Deonte Banks are all in the mix, which leaves New York trying to sort out a key spot right as Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense come into view. For a defense that has already invested so much, the opener has a way of revealing whether the spending bought stability or just created a different kind of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]