The Denver Broncos and Matt Henningsen received terrible news the other day when the fears of a torn achilles for the defensive lineman were confirmed. Henningsen received the injury during a practice and is now ruled out for the entire 2025 season. It's a major blow for the former Wisconsin Badger, who was looking to build on his 2024 season that included 10 tackles.
Sean Payton confirmed Matt Henningsen tore his Achilles on Thursday. Will have surgery when they get back to Denver and his season is over.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) August 10, 2025
Matt Henningsen has a torn achilles and will miss the entire season for the Denver Broncos
Henningsen was a sixth-round pick out of Wisconsin, yet has been a viable depth defensive line player for the Broncos for the past two seasons. He has played in every game for the Broncos since being drafted and often anchors the defensive line in a run-stopping role.
He has an incredible story with Wisconsin, one full of hard work and proving the doubters wrong. He became the first freshman walk-on to start a game since 1990. He earned a spot through summer workouts and fall camp. He proved he was the best option and earned his position through hard work and hustle.
Throughout his time in Wisconsin, he played a total of 42 games with 29 of those starts at defensive end. He had impressive stats with 91 total tackles, including 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He even returned two fumbles for touchdowns in his college career.
He's a big-bodied defensive end that can also slide inside at 6'3, 291 pounds. He takes up a lot of real estate along the line, and he's not an easy person to push out of the way to open up running lanes, which is where his value is often for the Broncos on the depth chart. He can hold his own and clog up the offensive linemen who are trying to make room for the running back.
It's a frustrating setback for the former Badger, but he's been tested by adversity before and will work his way back from this one, maybe even stronger than before.