Washington Commanders Release Former Alabama Offensive Lineman J.C. Hassenauer

The Washington Commanders have released J.C. Hassenauer, a former Alabama offensive lineman. The announcement came on Friday, following Hassenauer's time on injured reserve throughout the 2023 season.

Hassenauer was signed by the Commanders on August 6. He participated in 48 offensive snaps across the team's two preseason games. Earlier in 2023, he had signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants but suffered a triceps injury during training camp that required surgery, sidelining him for the entire season.

During his college career at Alabama, Hassenauer started three games, all in his senior year. His final college game was a dramatic 26-23 overtime win against Georgia in the CFP national championship game for the 2017 season.

Hassenauer began his professional career with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted rookie in 2018, spending the first seven weeks on their practice squad. In 2019, he played as the starting center for the Birmingham Iron until the Alliance of American Football ended its season abruptly.

He then joined the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he did not make the regular-season roster initially, he returned to the Steelers in November as a practice-squad member. In 2020, he made the roster, played 15 games, and started four, filling in for injured center Maurkice Pouncey and playing at left guard once.

In 2021, Hassenauer continued as a backup but played every snap at center in the last two regular-season games and a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2022, he appeared in every game but was limited to 46 offensive snaps and 71 special-teams plays.

Overall, Hassenauer has played in 45 regular-season games and two playoff games during his NFL career, with seven starts.