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Ex-Cowboys center Brock Hoffman has been replaced in a quiet Thursday signing.
The Dallas Cowboys made a quiet move along the offensive line Thursday night, agreeing to terms with veteran lineman Matt Hennessy, according to Todd Archer of ESPN, as Dallas reshapes its depth chart heading deeper into NFL free agency. The addition arrives two days after the Cowboys moved on from popular interior lineman Brock Hoffman, creating a new layer of competition and insurance up front.
Archer did not report the details of Hennessy’s prospective contract with the Cowboys. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound lineman is coming off a two-year, $2.4 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Who is New Cowboys Signing Matt Hennessy?
Hennessy, 28, brings starting experience from previous stops around the league and has appeared in more than 60 NFL games during his four-year NFL career. Picked in the third round of the 2020 draft by the Atlanta Falcons, the Temple product has logged 24 starts while spending time with the Falcons and, last season, the San Francisco 49ers.
Hennessy played in every game for the ‘Niners in 2025, including both playoff games, though he started only twice.
The timing of the Hennessy signing is notable because Dallas declined to tender Hoffman as a restricted free agent, leaving his future with the organization uncertain. An earlier report said that Hoffman had reunited with former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy by signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hoffman, however, denied that report and said that he remains a free agent as of Friday.
Hennessy Brings Versatility to O-Line
The under-the-radar acquisition of Hennessy signals the Cowboys may be preparing for a new interior-line rotation, adding a player with both center and guard experience as the team continues to adjust its roster during the opening week of free agency. Hennessy’s experience playing both positions along the interior line indicates that the Cowboys see him as assuming Hoffman’s role as solid offensive line depth. Hoffman also switched between center and guard.
Hennessy was “a highly rated interior-lineman prospect coming out of college. The 6-foot-3-inch, 315-pound Hennessy was selected one round before the Cowboys took center Tyler Biadasz in the 2020 draft,” reported Todd Brock of USA Today CowboysWire.
Hoffman became a popular favorite over the past three seasons with a style of play that often rankled opponents but delighted fans.
“Often playing past the whistle, Hoffman seemed to take pleasure in being, for lack of a better word, a jerk,” wrote CowboysWire correspondent Reid Hanson in a profile of Hoffman. “It was a welcomed sight to a fanbase who grew tired of emotionless, even lackadaisical, efforts throughout the 2024 season.”
Cowboys O-Line Ranking Was Good but Not Great
Solid line play has become a hallmark of the Cowboys’ offense not only recently but throughout the past several decades, but the O-line seemed to take a step back in 2025.
“While the 2025 season wasn’t a bad one by any means, it didn’t exactly meet the lofty standards we’ve seen in the past,” wrote Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com in a season round-up.
In the Pro Football Network metric-based final rankings of all 32 NFL offensive lines, the Cowboys placed No. 6 overall, with a team grade of 80.3.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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