Daiyan Henley was a semi-unexpected draft choice by the Chargers this year, as linebacker had not been considered urgent enough to spend a third-round pick on. And yet they did – a draft pick that suggested Kenneth Murray was on the hot seat. After a quite solid preseason from Henley, the future does seem bright with him – and though he almost certainly won’t be the starter in Week 1, he could become one as soon as this year, depending on how Murray plays.
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Daiyan Henley Finishes Preseason on High Note
Pre-Draft
As stated earlier, it appears that Kenneth Murray may be in Brandon Staley’s doghouse, as otherwise there wouldn’t be much reason to spend a third-round pick on a new inside linebacker when you have Eric Kendricks opposite Murray. The fact that the Chargers declined Murray’s fifth-year option on Draft weekend seems to further confirm this, meaning Murray is now in a contract year.
Assuming that Henley wasn’t a bust, there is some wisdom in all of this. If Murray doesn’t step up in a contract year, then they can let him walk next off-season and turn to Henley, and let him take the reins with a year of experience under his belt. If Murray proved to be enough of a liability in-season this year, they could actually have a second option to turn to.
Daiyan Henley In the Preseason
Henley has shown ability in multiple facets of the game thus far. He led the team in the preseason with four passes defensed. In the preseason finale against the 49ers, he nabbed an interception off a deflection from Cam Brown. He could have even had two interceptions in that game, but he dropped one in the end zone. Regardless, this is a promising sign for his pass coverage.
But he’s also shown flashes elsewhere too – even as a pass-rusher, despite that not being one of his primary jobs. As seen in the clip below, he got half a sack with Carlo Kemp after running almost unblocked to Jameis Winston. And if this montage is any indication, he can be solid in run defense as well. It helps that he’s quite fast by linebacker standards (he played receiver early in college), so that helps him get to the ball quickly.
Daiyan Henley with a Derwin-like rush out there, combines for sack with Carlo Kemp. pic.twitter.com/D4HhGj5laV
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 21, 2023
In Conclusion
Daiyan Henley has been one of the more exciting players on defense this preseason. The question will be if it can translate to the regular season. The talent is clearly there, though. With the physical ability, the potential to be a solid starter in this league is there for him.
The good news for him is that he won’t have the pressure of starting immediately, and may well not for another year. But if he plays up to his potential and Kenneth Murray doesn’t, the switch may happen sooner than some might have expected. And in case of injury to either Murray or Kendricks, the Chargers can feel reasonably confident that Henley will be able to hold his own out there.
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Main Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
