Broncos Acquire Linebacker Daiyan Henley From Chargers for Two Draft Picks

The Denver Broncos acquired linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday, minutes before the NFL trade deadline. Los Angeles receives a fourth-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2028 draft in return. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the deal first, and ESPN's Adam Schefter posted the terms on X. NBC Sports, Pro Football Rumors and ClutchPoints all reported the same terms.

Henley, 26, has 51 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and half a sack in eight games this season, according to his ESPN game log cited by Athlon Sports. The interception came on Sunday, November 8, in the Chargers' 44-22 loss to Houston. NBC Sports noted that his coverage grade from Pro Football Focus this season, 38.3, is the worst of his career, while his tackling remains a strength. For Denver, the run defense help matters more: Henley gives the Broncos a starting linebacker for the stretch run at the cost of two mid-round picks.

A starter moves inside the division

The Chargers drafted Henley in the third round in 2023, 85th overall, out of Washington State. He played his first four college seasons at Nevada, then transferred to Washington State, where he made the All-Pac-12 first team and became the first Butkus Award finalist in school history. In Los Angeles he was a core special teams player as a rookie, then a full-time starter on defense from his second season. In 2024 he started all 17 games and played through a torn labrum before having surgery in the offseason. The Chargers' own site credits him with 103 tackles, two interceptions and 3.5 sacks in 2025.

Trades inside a division are rare, and this one sends a starter from the AFC West's bottom team to one of its contenders. Pro Football Rumors described Denver as a contender eyeing another playoff run, and the price reflects Henley's contract: he is in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next year.

Los Angeles sells at last

For weeks the Chargers had said they were not looking to move veteran players, even as their season collapsed. Los Angeles is the league's only winless team, and Henley was the first Charger traded on deadline day, with less than an hour left before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to NFL Trade Rumors. The return is modest on paper, two Day 3 picks in two different drafts, but it beats losing a pending free agent for nothing in March.

Whether Henley starts right away in Denver will be settled this week. What is already settled is the address: in his fourth season in Los Angeles, the linebacker stays in the AFC West and changes sides.