“I want to be the guy, like, they look at and say, ‘He’s out there for the right reasons,’” says Henley, who spent most of his 2023 rookie season on special teams.
EL SEGUNDO — The Chargers’ initial and very unofficial depth chart of training camp listed Daiyan Henley as a starting inside linebacker alongside Denzel Perryman. If all goes as planned then Henley will have earned a starter’s job when the season begins Sept. 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.
Earned being the optimal word.
“That is the next step,” Henley said Wednesday of possibly earning a starting role for the 2024 season. “Nothing is official, but I think that is the biggest part for me. I want to earn that spot. I want to earn that trust, and not only from the coaches but from my teammates. I’ve put in the extra work to do it, spending more time in the building and making sure I spend more time on my body.”
As a rookie, a third-round selection in the 2023 draft from Washington State, Henley spent most of the season on special teams. He was credited with playing 53 snaps on defense while playing 15 of 17 games last season. He also was credited with playing 265 snaps on special teams.
As rewarding as his entry-level job might have been, Henley hungered for more.
“I want to be the guy, like, they look at and say, ‘He’s out there for the right reasons,’” Henley said.
So far, so good.
Henley has spent most of the Chargers’ 13 training camp sessions with the starting defense. He’s been alongside Perryman, playing inside edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. He’s excelled in pass coverage, shadowing tight ends such as Stone Smartt during an 11-on-11 drill Wednesday.
On another day, say, Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks in the first of the Chargers’ three exhibition games, he might have thumped Smartt to the turf with a thunderous tackle. But since Smartt is a teammate and Wednesday’s session was a light-hitting practice, he backed off.
“Sometimes you get into that mentality where you want to hit somebody,” Henley said. “On our first day in pads, I felt like I had something to prove on every play. I feel like we always talk about the pass coverage … that’s something I live for. … I have the background of being both a receiver and a safety.”
In fact, Henley arrived at the University of Nevada from Crenshaw High School as a wide receiver and then switched sides of the ball, moving to play defensive back and, ultimately, switching to linebacker after he transferred to Washington State for the 2022 season. The Chargers drafted him as a linebacker.
Given his background, it was likely Henley knew where Smartt was headed on his route from the moment the ball was snapped.
“It would never be my guy,” Henley said of laying a big hit on a teammate. “I know Stone. He’s got that spidey sense. He felt me there. He’s got the spidey sense. It’s one of those plays that just happens. But I’m looking forward to playing against the Seahawks’ tight ends. There won’t be a leash.”
Wide receiver Joshua Palmer left the field and spoke with an athletic trainer after making a catch during an 11-on-11 period and did not return to the action. He stood on the sideline flexing his right knee as practice continued. He also appeared to be walking with a limp.
Palmer suffered an apparent right knee injury Tuesday after making a diving catch in the end zone with defensive back Deane Leonard covering him a little too closely. Palmer remained on the grass for a few moments while a trainer attended to him. He did return to team drills several minutes later.
Wednesday, Palmer returned to practice but couldn’t complete the session.
The Chargers on Tuesday signed quarterback Luis Perez, a veteran of the UFL and the XFL, in order to have a four-quarterback rotation while Justin Herbert is sidelined by a plantar fascia injury. Perez joined Easton Stick, Max Duggan and Casey Bauman for team drills Wednesday.
Perez was fourth in the rotation, but made several accurate throws.
Stick continued working with the starting offense, including an offensive line composed of left tackle Rashawn Slater, left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman, right guard Foster Sarell and right tackle Joe Alt. Sarell filled in for Trey Pipkins III, who has been sidelined for the past few practices.
