The Denver Broncos struck a deal just ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, acquiring Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. This is a good deal for a 26-year-old linebacker who can improve the team's ability to drop back into coverage at the linebacker position.
While it has to be tough for players to suddenly pick up and move to a new city, join a new locker room, and play in front of a new fanbase, this might be a very welcome change for Henley, who is in his fourth year with the Chargers.
Henley, who will be a free agent at the end of this season, may very well have left the Chargers anyway. Major changes could be in store for that team, which currently sits at an NFL worst
0-8 record. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 7-2 and are one of the top contenders to get to the Super Bowl.
When Von Miller was introduced at Rams HQ after being traded from the Broncos ahead of the 2021 deadline, he said: "I went to bed 4-4 and I woke up 7-1."
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) November 10, 2026
Henley went to bed 0-8 and woke up 7-2. Quite a shift, especially when joining a division rival.
Daiyan Henley could not have asked for a better trade
Henley was just going to go through the motions of the rest of this season with a Chargers team that is going nowhere before making a decision in free agency during the offseason. Now, he has something to play for, along with much better options for his future.
The Broncos will appreciate his ability to provide pass coverage on top of his regular linebacker duties, and he will see the field a lot as a result. It remains to be seen whether that will come at the expense of Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad, but there is a huge opportunity for Henley on a potential championship roster.
Players likely don't hope to be traded in most cases, but this is one of those deals where it would be hard not to be very happy.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X!
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Daiyan Henley went from 0-8 misery to 7-2 and contending
