The injury bug has hit two former Wisconsin Badgers hard in NFL training camp, with Tyler Biadasz and Matt Henningsen both going down in separate ugly moments.
Biadasz, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, was carted off the field during the team’s joint practice with the 49ers on Aug. 18. The center was hurt when a 49ers player landed on his leg, and he remained down for nearly five minutes before he was helped to a medical cart.
The setback comes after a busy offseason for Biadasz, who signed a three-year deal worth up to $30 million with the Chargers before the season. He had been a surprise cut by the Washington Commanders and is heading into his seventh NFL season.
The former Pro Bowl selection with the Dallas Cowboys was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2020. Biadasz, a product of Amherst High School, has become the second former UW standout to suffer a potentially serious NFL camp injury this summer.
That other Badgers alum is Henningsen, the Denver Broncos defensive lineman whose latest injury landed with a brutal sense of déjà vu. Henningsen tore his Achilles again exactly one year to the date of last year’s injury, after being lost in a joint practice against the 49ers last season as well.
The Aug. 7 practice injury will keep the Menomonee Falls High School alumnus out for all of 2026, and it marks his third straight year missing time because of injury. Henningsen played in all 17 NFL games in both 2022 and 2023 after the Broncos selected him in the sixth round out of Wisconsin in 2022.
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Jack Pughs Family Finally Got The Answer Wisconsin Fans Feared
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Pugh had medically retired before the 2023 season after previously citing prolonged depression and substance abuse, which made his story one that resonated far beyond the field. The Franklin County Coroners Office has now provided the official findings, giving his family a medical explanation after months of uncertainty and adding a final, painful layer to a loss that hit the Wisconsin community hard. [Read more 🡒]
Former Badger Mason Reiger Suddenly Faces A Brutal NFL Roster Twist
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The move leaves Reiger in limbo for the moment, with Miami not disclosing what injury he is dealing with. His next step is unclear, whether another team might claim him, the Dolphins eventually place him on injured reserve, or he lands in free agency. [Read more 🡒]
