IDP Deep Dive: Daiyan Henley

Will the second-year linebacker get a shot for Jim Harbaugh's Chargers?

Aug 21, 2024

Earlier this week, we posted a poll on X offering IDP managers the choice of one of four players to feature in our new deep-dive article series. The results were conclusive, and you nominated Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley with over 40% of the votes. In this article, we’ll look at Henley’s rookie season, his outlook for 2024, and any concerns we have about his future as an IDP asset.

Rookie Season

Henley was always going to be a project. Initially, he joined Nevada as a wide receiver and transitioned to linebacker in 2020. The youngster enjoyed two productive seasons in his new position and excelled after transferring to Washington, but his relative inexperience meant he wasn’t ready to slide into a significant role in the NFL from day one.

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His performance at the Senior Bowl teased what Henley is capable of. He excelled in coverage during practices and followed up with an eye-catching seven combined tackles and a fumble recovery in the Bowl game.

His landing spot with the Chargers was not ideal. The Bolts had signed Eric Kendricks to mitigate the loss of Drue Tranquill to the Chiefs, and Kenneth Murray remained with the team. However, at 31 years old, Kendricks wasn’t the long-term answer, and the Chargers declined Murray’s fifth-year option on the same day they selected Henley. Dynasty IDP managers understood it would take an injury for Henley to become relevant in his rookie season. Still, we anticipated a more significant role going into year two, provided he acquitted himself well in limited opportunities during his rookie season.

There wasn’t much about Henley’s rookie year to get excited about. Even when Murray and Kendricks missed games with injuries, Nick Niemann was the top choice to replace them. Most of Henley’s opportunities came on special teams, and despite performing well in that role, he played only 54 defensive snaps. It was very much a season spent learning and acclimatizing under then-defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley.

2024 Outlook

Despite his limited involvement during his rookie season, the sophomore linebacker’s outlook for 2024 appeared bright once the Chargers released Kendricks and allowed Murray to walk in free agency. Those departures vacated over 1800 snaps from 2023, and while it was apparent the Chargers would strengthen their linebacker group, Henley’s IDP managers hoped he would remain at least one of the top two options. Unfortunately, the Chargers seemingly spoiled Henley’s coming out party after signing Denzel Perryman in free agency and drafting Junior Colson - who many draftniks ranked as the number one linebacker in the draft class.

Signing Perryman provided the Chargers with the veteran presence they lacked at the position. The selection of Colson made sense, too, reuniting him with his Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. At first glance, and once again, it appeared Henley may be doomed to a part-time role at best.

However, Perryman has proven to be a somewhat limited linebacker during his career. He’s an asset in run defense, but remains a liability in pass coverage. He has also struggled to remain healthy and has only managed more than 600 snaps in a season over a career spanning nine years. Colson, while undoubtedly talented, missed valuable time preparing for his rookie season with an appendectomy. The newest member of the Chargers’ linebacker corps was activated off the NFI list in late July, but his absence may hurt his chances of earning a significant role to open the season.

Meanwhile, Henley has taken advantage. He has consistently run with the starters throughout training camp, and performed particularly well in the Chargers’ second preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Henley has talked about the extra work he has put into being ready for his second year, and his progression has turned the heads of his teammates. Derwin James spoke about Henley’s abilities in pass coverage:

“He's actually a safety to me playing linebacker because he can cover guys really good. I think it's patience. He is very patient, and I feel he can cover running backs and tight ends.”

Ordinarily, we would look to the tackling efficiency of former starters to glean some insight into how their replacements may perform in that area. Were we to do that in this case, things wouldn’t look too rosy for Henley, as Kendricks finished 55th and Murray 90th among all linebackers who played at least 100 snaps. However, that matters less in this case, as Minter will implement a new defensive scheme in 2024.

Minter’s appointment is a positive for two reasons. Firstly, he demonstrated a commitment to zone defense at Michigan, utilizing zone coverage on over 65% of all defensive play calls. That provides encouragement that the below-average tackling efficiency of the Chargers linebackers in 2023 will improve. Secondly, Minter had a tendency to use two linebackers at a high rate. There’s no guarantee that these approaches carry over to the Chargers’ regular season games, but the early signs are encouraging.

Conclusion

Henley is still listed ahead of Colson on the unofficial depth chart, and while it stands to reason that Colson will earn a more significant role as the season unfolds, it’s not unreasonable to expect Perryman to be the player who loses snaps down the stretch. Henley’s 2024 value in IDP may be contingent on him starting fast and proving Perryman is dispensable before Colson finds his way onto the field. Perryman is the superior player in run defense, but the combination of the veteran’s limitations in pass coverage and the increasingly pass-centric nature of the NFL work in Henley’s favor. Hopefully, we can avoid a three-way division of snaps where players are used on a situational basis, as that would probably spell disaster for IDP managers.

There is value to be had in drafting Henley in IDP. On average, he’s being selected 67 spots later than Colson in the The IDP Show best ball drafts. That’s egregious considering how similarly they may perform in 2024. In fact, Henley is projected to outperform Colson in our 2024 IDP projections.

Ultimately, the uncertain situation with the Chargers linebackers is a nightmare for redraft managers who have to either pick their poison or roster all three players. However, for dynasty IDP managers, the future seemingly belongs to Henley and Colson.

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