LOS ANGELES — When Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley realized his NFL dream in 2023, it was almost akin to the script of a Hollywood movie.
Henley grew up in the shadows of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, playing high school football at Crenshaw High with dreams of playing in the pros. He changed positions twice — from quarterback in high school to wide receiver at the University of Nevada and then moving to defense his junior year. After spending his senior year at Washington State, Henley was drafted in the third round (No. 85) of the 2023 NFL draft by his hometown team, the Chargers.
If this were a movie with a storybook ending, Henley would have gone on to dominate as a rookie. Instead, Henley’s first season was a disappointment. He played 51 defensive snaps — spending most of his time on special teams — as a depth player behind linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr., Eric Kendricks and Nick Niemann, who all played at least 230 defensive snaps.
“I chased this dream for so long to be here, from outside looking in, that probably seemed like it was enough,” Henley told ESPN.
“But that wasn’t my end-all-be-all goal to be a special teamer. … So that was where my embarrassment was, but it was also my interior motivation.”
Henley found a new opportunity in 2024 when Murray and Kendricks didn’t return and with the hiring of coach Jim Harbaugh, who brought in a new defensive staff.
Last offseason, the Chargers signed linebackers Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye and drafted Junior Colson in the third round. Colson had played for Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at Michigan — his familiarity with the scheme, system and coaches made Colson a likely candidate to see a significant role in year one.
But appendicitis kept Colson out of most of training camp and Henley emerged as one of the Chargers’ best linebackers during camp.
When the season began, Henley and Perryman started but would rotate with Colson and other linebackers on defense. Over time, that rotation decreased, with Henley staying on the field more often. From Weeks 8 to 16, he played at least 60 snaps in all but one game and became a vocal part of the Chargers defense.
“I think he’s really just become a great calming force and leader in the middle of the defense,” Minter said during the season.
The season didn’t come without bumps, though. In Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Henley suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder while making a tackle. His season would have been over if he had opted for surgery, but instead Henley played his next two games with a shoulder strap and another arm restraint to prevent further injury
Henley had what he described as the worst game of his career in Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Chargers defense missed 16 tackles, many of which Henley took the blame for. Cardinals running back James Conner rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries.
After that game, Henley worked with the Chargers staff to adjust his shoulder contraption.
“They said I am at a much higher chance of dislocating my shoulder with the adjustments that I made, but at that point, I was like, ‘Bro, I’ll take the risk,'” Henley said. “And if you look at my gameplay after Arizona, I went on a run.”
He then had double-digit tackles in eight of his next nine games, including a career-high 15 tackles against the Tennessee Titans. His performance caught the attention of Harbaugh.
“The growth, the leadership, the tackling ability, that’s been great,” Harbaugh said. “… Elite pass defense, driving into the zone and just finding the receivers and plugging the holes and then reacting to the ball in the air that was elite.”
Henley finished his sophomore season ranking eighth in the NFL in total tackles (147).
“I can truly say I don’t feel embarrassed,” Henley said while laughing. “I feel much better about my football life and my football journey. I feel like I did accomplish a lot, but I just know I haven’t gotten to where I wanna be.”
Shortly after the season ended, Henley had surgery for his labrum. As part of his recovery process, Henley said he is at the Chargers facility daily for rehab before strength training and began training his upper body again about a week ago.
After uncertainty following an uneventful rookie season, with a new coaching staff, Henley heads into his third season as the Chargers top linebacker. He expects to be 100% by training camp for a season where he feels more motivated than ever.
“Looking around the league, I feel bits of just longing for more. I see guys, and I feel like I should have that opportunity, and why didn’t I?” Henley said.
“Ultimately, I’m telling myself, ‘You haven’t done anything yet,’ and that right there motivates me. So that’s where I’m at mentally. I feel like I still haven’t had my moment yet.”
Source link
