Skip to main content
Mile High Huddle

Film Room: Why Broncos Coveted Daiyan Henley—and Could Pursue Him Again

The film reveals exactly why the Broncos likely aren't done pursuing Daiyan Henley.
Lance Sanderson|
Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Daiyan Henley celebrates a win.
Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Daiyan Henley celebrates a win. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Denver Broncos

In a surprising twist, the Denver Broncos are not acquiring linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers, after all. The trade was nullified due to Henley failing the Broncos' physical on Wednesday night. 

Denver had originally sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to their division rivals in exchange for their outstanding coverage linebacker, but a knee issue got in the way of the deal being finalized. Denver tried to renegotiate with the Chargers after Henley's visit and physical, but they couldn't agree on terms in the long run.

Henley would have been the best coverage linebacker the Broncos have had in at least the last five seasons, and he would have fit a major need for this defense. His ability to match and mirror against tight ends and running backs in the passing game is fantastic, and he has the range and length to be a high-quality tackler at the second level. 

I dove through the first five games of the season to see exactly what the Broncos were targeting. While Henley may not be Fred Warner over the middle of the field, Denver could have gotten a high-quality player that they could extend as a building-block piece for the future. 

Let’s get into the tape, because Henley is in a contract year, so if the Chargers don't find a way to re-sign him, the Broncos could very well circle back in 2027 free agency. 

Length and Athleticism

Henley (jersey No. 0) isn’t just a great coverage linebacker. He is an exceptional tackler because he has incredibly long arms and uses sound technique. Those long arms also do a great job to keep blockers at bay and allow him to make plays in the running game. 

He uses his length really well to shed blockers at the point of attack, and has enough speed to shoot gaps and chase down ball carriers with relative ease. His technique to wrap up and drag players to the ground is very good, and he doesn’t miss a lot of tackles when he gets home. 

There are several examples of Henley using his length to his advantage, but he also shows great lateral agility and athleticism to keep himself clean at the second level. His speed and sideline-to-sideline range flash all over his tape, and he can bring some power when he gets a head of steam.

Check out this rep against Denver. He identifies Jaylen Waddle on a reverse, then sprints to the sideline and obliterates Nate Adkins before making the tackle. That’s an incredible play to catch up to Waddle, who is one of the most explosive players in the league.

Coverage Ability

Speaking of speed and athleticism, Henley is fast enough to cover any running back out of the backfield or tight end over the middle of the field. He is a fluid mover in space, understands route combinations and leverage, and has great feel for zone coverage. 

Watch this man coverage rep against the Broncos. Denver likes to use running back RJ Harvey on wheel routes because he is incredibly explosive in space.

Henley presses down, then mirrors Harvey along the sideline, going stride-for-stride in phase. This is a high-quality rep against an upstart receiving back. 

Even though Henley has gotten beat more often than he has in the past, his ability to diagnose and react is still very good, and he knows when to pass receivers off to the next zone and stay within his assignment. He had a couple of bad reps against the Buffalo Bills, but those were mostly miscommunication issues between him and his teammates. 

When communication is clear, Henley’s zone coverage is among the best in the league. He does a great job of getting depth and flattening to the route, staying underneath the receiver, and keeping his eyes on the quarterback to try to make plays on the ball. 

Like this rep against the Arizona Cardinals, who tested him against Trey McBride working vertically up the sideline. Henley’s positioning is textbook on this rep, as he passes McBride off to the next zone but keeps climbing the sideline. 

Size Concerns

Despite having great length, Henley is undersized for the position (6-foot-0, 225 pounds), and it really shows as a run defender when he has to take on blockers at the point of attack. He doesn’t have the mass or the power to stack and shed blockers, and he tends to get washed out of the play when blockers get attached. 

Even though he mitigates this issue with his athleticism, there are too many examples of Henley getting bullied in the running game. It was an issue with him at Washington State, and it hasn’t gotten better as his career has gone on. 

Going back to the Denver game, watch left guard Ben Powers blast Henley off the ball and drive him downfield. Henley’s length can’t and won’t save him every play. 

Those size concerns also translate to his lackluster blitzing ability. The Chargers didn’t ask him to blitz a lot, but when he did, the results weren’t pretty. For some reason, the Chargers would also ask him to come off the edge as a pass rusher on occasion, and those results were even worse. 

The Takeaway

There’s a lot to like about Henley’s game, and he would have been a fantastic addition to an already loaded Broncos defense. I have 25 additional Henley clips on my X feed to check out, with multiple examples of what we discussed here. 

Henley is certainly a starting-caliber player in this league, but with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad playing quality football in their own right, the Broncos wouldn't have needed Henley to play every down. The Broncos might have been able to hide Henley's deficiencies in the run game and focus on his coverage versatility as a dime linebacker. 

Again, though, Henley is in the last year of his rookie contract, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Broncos make a run at him as a free agent next offseason. And that's why we moved forward with publishing this film breakdown.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published
Lance Sanderson
LANCE SANDERSON

Lance Sanderson has been with Denver Broncos On SI since 2020, beginning on the beat originally in 2018 with Mile High Huddle. He covered the 2019 NFL draft on location in New York City. His works have also appeared on CBSSports.com, 247Sports.com, and BleacherReport.com. He co-hosts the Dove Valley Deep-Divers podcast on Mile High Huddle.

Share on XFollow LanceS_MHH
Home/News