Broncos' New Linebacker Pecking Order After Daiyan Henley Trade

Here's how Daiyan Henley reshapes the Broncos' inside linebacker depth chart.

NFL, American Football Herren, USA 2024: Steelers vs Chargers SEP 22 September 22, 2024: Daiyan Henley 0 during the Steelers vs Chargers game in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jason Puhuski / IMAGO / Newscom World

The Denver Broncos made a move ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, acquiring linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers.

Denver sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder to its division rival for Henley, but that's no skin off GM George Paton's teeth, given that he expects to get a fourth-round compensatory pick back for John Franklin-Myers's free-agent departure.

We've covered the Broncos' biggest winners and losers of the Henley trade and graded the move. Now it's time to examine how the fourth-year veteran's arrival could shake up the Broncos' linebacker depth chart.

New Projected ILB Depth Chart

1. Alex Singleton
2. Justin Strnad
3. Daiyan Henley
4. Jordan Turner
5. Karene Reid

The Broncos finally have a coverage linebacker. As exciting as Henley's arrival is, I don't anticipate him replacing either of the starters out of the gates.

Singleton and Strnad will remain the Broncos' starting linebacker duo, but unlike Turner and Reid, Henley is going to play. Much like last season, when Dre Greenlaw was healthy, the Broncos will implement a three-man rotation at inside linebacker, based on down and distance.

It might not happen right away, but I'd love to see Henley start eating into Singleton's coverage snaps. Coverage isn't Singleton's strong suit, and yet, he's played 365 so far this season, the most of any NFL inside linebacker.

Meanwhile, Strnad has played 280 coverage snaps, the seventh-most among NFL linebackers. On one hand, you'd like to tip your cap to Singleton and Strnad for playing so many snaps against the pass. On the other, neither is doing a good job.

The best reflection of that is the amount of yardage the Broncos have hemorrhaged to tight ends this season. In just the past three games alone, they've allowed 330 passing yards and three touchdowns to tight ends.

It's been bad.

The Broncos had to do something, and they did, adding Henley just as they hit their bye. That gives him time to settle in and assimilate the playbook on the fly.

Beware the Raiders' TE Duo

Michael Mayer celebrates a touchdown with Brock Bowers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since the Broncos won't be playing again until Week 11's home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, I like Henley's chances of being ready to contribute. I hope we see him early and often because the Raiders have All-World tight end Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, two tight ends who've combined for 1,046 yards and seven touchdowns already this season.

Granted, the Raiders will have a different quarterback throwing them the ball when the Broncos see them, as Kirk Cousins was traded to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. But No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza shadowed Cousins through the first nine weeks, and even though he's a rookie, he's smart enough to know how the Raiders' bread gets buttered.

As for the bottom two linebackers on the depth chart, the Broncos opted to cut defensive back Sean Fresch Jr. to make room for Henley, instead of one of them. Both Turner and Reid are key special teams contributors, so they'll be sticking around the active roster for the foreseeable future.

The Takeaway

Henley begins his Broncos tenure as the third linebacker on the depth chart, but he's started 41 career games since entering the league as a Chargers third-round pick in 2023. He's a two-time team captain and L.A.'s green-dot wearer, meaning he called the signals for the defense. He was also the Chargers' tackles leader twice and was on pace to do it again this year before his trade.

Strnad has been in the league since 2020, and has 28 career starts, just to put things in perspective. Henley has seen a lot of football, and he's played well in all facets of the game.

Henley is going to see the field out of the gate, even if he doesn't replace Singleton or Strnad as a nominal starter. The Broncos traded for him for a reason, and their desperate need to stanch the bleeding in the middle of their passing defense dictates he sees the field in obvious passing situations.

It's going to be interesting to see just how the Broncos balance their new three-man linebacker rotation.

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