The LA Chargers' season ended in unceremonious fashion on Saturday with a blowout 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans. As promising as the 2024 season was, the pain of Saturday's loss feels all the same for Chargers fans.
Unlike last time the Chargers lost in the playoffs, fans actually have something to look forward to in the future. Jim Harbaugh is just at the beginning of building something in Los Angeles whereas last time, the Chargers fired their offensive coordinator for losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One of the beacons of potential for the future is second-year linebacker Daiyan Henley. Henley had a breakout season under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and is now considered one of the best young linebackers in the entire sport.
The craziest part about Henley's breakout sophomore season is that he might have been playing severely compromised. Shortly after the Chargers were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, Henley revealed he has been playing with a torn labrum that he suffered all the way back in Week 4.
Played a full season with a torn labrum that happened week 4 nothing drives me more than this team time to heal up !!!! pic.twitter.com/gmTNqRpEVE
— THE RANGER (@daiyan_henley11) January 12, 2025
Chargers' LB Daiyan Henley reveals he tore his labrum in Week 4
Henley played all 17 games for the Chargers in 2024 and played 91% of the team's defensive snaps. The only time he even appeared on the injury report was in Week 13 when he was questionable with a calf injury. If a torn labrum didn't sideline him, a minor calf injury wasn't going to.
This is not only a testament to just how tough Henley is but how special he is as a player. Henley was able to play at a very high level with an injury that would typically be compromising for a hard-hitting linebacker.
If Henley was able to play at this level with this injury in his first year with Minter, just imagine what he can do in 2025 and beyond with more experience and health on his side. As unfortunate as it is to hear that Henley was playing through pain, this should make Chargers fans optimistic about his ceiling moving forward.
This is not the first time a Chargers player has announced a surprise injury to their labrum as soon as the season ends. Back in January 2023, when the Chargers last made the playoffs, Justin Herbert had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after the team was eliminated.
Herbert made a full recovery in time for training camp with no issues whatsoever. Chargers fans can expect the same timeline for Henley.