Who is Denver Broncos New Linebacker Daiyan Henley?
Daiyan Henley is the new linebacker Denver traded for at the deadline. Read more about him here.
The Denver Broncos made a trade at the deadline!
Wait...a linebacker?
Yep. It turns out George Paton and Sean Payton are playing chess not checkers, or something.
Entering 2026, we knew inside linebacker was the Broncos worst position in terms of depth.
Luckily, nine weeks into the season neither Justin Strnad nor Alex Singleton has been injured. Singleton was also just named AFC Defensive Player of the Month of October and leads the NFL in total tackles.
But Denver knew they needed to bolster the position in order to make a deep playoff run. Especially in terms of adding a linebacker that can cover tight ends and running backs.
Who is Daiyan Henley?
Henley is a fourth-year pro who's played his entire career with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was a captain this year and has been a full-time starter in LA the last 2.5 seasons.
Denver traded a 2027 4th-round pick and a 2025 5th-rounder for Henley in the hour leading up to the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Now he'll look to earn playing time where two talented starters already have cemented themselves.
Henley is a strong cover linebacker
If you explore Henley's raw stats, it's clear he is a talented linebacker in coverage.
Over the last three seasons, he's racked up 4 interceptions and he's defended an eye-popping 15 passes. These are safety or even borderline cornerback numbers for a linebacker.
At 6' and 225 pounds, he has the build of a safety, too, more than a linebacker. It seems Henley is a rover or "moneybacker" type player.
And that's great because the Broncos have been getting beat by tight ends for years over the middle.
According to Ben Solak of ESPN, Henley's a great coverage linebacker.
"Since the start of 2024, when he became a full-time starter, Henley has been targeted 175 times (third among all linebackers), per NFL Next Gen Stats. He has given up two touchdowns to four interceptions with 15 total passes defensed. He has surrendered a passer rating of 82.9 (fourth lowest) and only 6.3 yards per target (11th lowest). His recent play has been more inconsistent than in years past, and there are tackling limitations in the box with a player of his size. But he is a good coverage linebacker in a passing league."
Pro Football Focus grades paint a different picture; he's 74th out of 79 linebackers in coverage grade this year. I think I'll lean on the more solid metrics Solak pointed to rather than a judgement call grade.
Broncos Earn Strong Grades for the Trade
CBS gives Denver an A- for landing Henley at the deadline. Zachary Pereles writes:
The Broncos quietly made a helpful deal, acquiring Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley for a couple of mid-round picks. Henley has plateaued a bit the past couple of seasons after a strong start, but he's an impressive athlete who could benefit from a change of scenery. Vance Joseph has gotten the most out of lots of players, and Henley has the tools to be next in line.
Meanwhile, Yahoo! Sports awarded the Broncos a B for the trade.
It seemed like the Broncos offense needed some help, but the defense got the boost. The Broncos got linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Chargers for a fourth- and fifth-round pick, which was a nice deal. Defense didn't seem like an obvious need but Henley is now Denver's best coverage linebacker, which was an area of weakness. There are still questions on offense that weren't addressed, but getting Henley was still a plus.
Rich Kurtzman
Why Didn't Broncos get a Running Back or Tight End?
It seemed clear the Broncos sent feelers out for both offensive positions; running back and tight end.
Adam Schefter said they reached out to the Cardinals about Trey McBride and were immediately shut down. Another report from Albert Breer said they were looking to trade for a running back and that "J.K. Dobbins was dangled out there" but then they shifted to safeties.
Ultimately, Jonathan Taylor would've been a great get but the Colts were asking way too much for him.
Tony Pollard seemed perfect if the price was only a 4th-round pick, but then the Titans decided they weren't going to trade him.
And it seems likely Denver liked their tight end room more than adding aging veteran Dallas Goedert.
Just like when the Broncos signed only their own players in free agency last offseason, they love the squad they've built and are happy standing pat as they look to possibly win the AFC West for a second straight year and compete for a Super Bowl again.
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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
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