The Los Angeles Chargers, needless to say, have not played up to expectations to this point in the season.
Neither the offense nor the defense has lived up to what has been asked of them. The offense has been full of miscues and disorganization, and the defense under new coordinator Chris O'Leary seems to have taken a major step back from last year. Perhaps both of these developments are temporary.
If the Chargers are going to have any shot whatsoever of turning things around and making a run at the playoffs, they need to be.
Much of the ire, to this point, has been devoted to the offensive side of the ball, and that's understandable. Mike McDaniel was one of the highest-profile hires of the offseason, and it seems as though the criticisms that plagued him at the end of his time in Miami have followed him to the opposite coast.
But the defense deserves some of the focus as well, especially as the Chargers head into a slate of matchups that contains a bevy of much more lethal offenses than the ones they've just faced. If Los Angeles is going to turn this defense around, it's going to start with strong, consistent performance and vocal leadership from their star pieces.
As Daiyan Henley advances into this season without an extension, the onus is upon him to be a major piece in that puzzle.
Daiyan Henley needs to prove his stardom to the Chargers (and help resurrect this defense in the process)
On the surface, Henley seems like an obvious extension candidate. Although he struggled to produce consistently last season, there was personal turmoil in his life that likely impacted his play. If we simply take a quick step back to 2024—when he posted 147 tackles and eight passes defended—you can easily picture Henley as one of the league's premier inside linebackers.
But there wasn't any talk of getting out ahead of his free agency this offseason, and that likely comes down to some of the uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles' future cap situation. The organization still hasn't come to terms with premier pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, and Justin Herbert's contract takes the leap up to a $58 million annual value next season.
If Henley fits on the books, the Chargers almost certainly need to bring him back. This is quite possibly Denzel Perryman's final NFL season, and it's the final year on Troy Dye's modest contract. There's too much uncertainty in this room to simply let its premier asset walk.
But the ultimate terms and security of Henley's next deal depend on his ability to rebound this season. Across two games, he's posted 11 combined tackles, one pressure, and half a sack. Those are alright numbers, but no component of this defense has truly been good enough on the whole, including the linebacker room.
Whether it's fair or not, part of the blame for that goes to Henley as one of the cornerstones of the unit.
Henley hasn't truly been part of the problem so far, although he's struggled somewhat in coverage and hasn't made a major impact in the pass rush. But if he wants to earn the type of long-term deal that players like Nakobe Dean and Tremaine Edmunds got this past offseason, he needs to be part of the solution.
He needs to operate with more consistency in coverage, and with Perryman out until at least Week 5, he needs to be more active getting down to the line of scrimmage and helping out the Chargers' defensive line.
It's going to take consistent and inspiring play from the Chargers' star defenders, including Henley and Derwin James, to help turn this thing around. It's a different onus than we thought would be placed on Henley entering a contract year, but it's the reality Los Angeles must face after an 0-2 start to the campaign.
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