As far as 2026 is concerned, the Los Angeles Chargers' inside linebacker room is relatively set.
It's reasonable to expect a bounce-back season from Daiyan Henley, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. While Denzel Perryman's production is waning, his return on a one-year deal should help stabilize the Chargers' run defense. Beyond that, some combination of Troy Dye, Junior Colson, Marlowe Wax, and UDFA Lander Barton should form a formidable group.
But until we arrive at Week 1, much of the hierarchy for that room will be up in the air. While Perryman and Henley are the defined starters (and Dye is the clear favorite for the first rotational role), Wax, Colson, and Barton will all be competing for snaps in the regular course of the defense. Even if you remove Barton from the equation, the competition between Wax and Colson will be one to watch heading into 2026.
In terms of the roster battles the Chargers must face in training camp, this is far from the most important one. But as Perryman enters his age-34 season, Los Angeles must acknowledge an unavoidable truth.
Perryman can't provide starter-level production for too much longer, and the Chargers need the rest of the ILB room to take strides this season in order to compensate for his inevitable departure.
The Chargers need to lay the groundwork for the future of the ILB room in 2026
Henley's extension is a matter to be dealt with next offseason. But it's easy to imagine that, given his production over the course of his rookie contract, the Chargers will be eager to proffer their star defender with a new deal.
Perryman's future, however, leaves much more room for doubt. While Perryman was solid in 2025, posting 30 solo tackles and 16 stops while taking on 52% of the team's defensive snaps over the 10 games he was available, his production is clearly waning. His return on a one-year deal for 2026 is more of an indictment on the readiness of Dye or Colson to take over his role than anything else.
In short, Perryman's re-signing simply kicked a roster problem down the road for Los Angeles.
Dye, for his part, showed major upside as a pass-rusher and a run defender in 2025. He'll be entering the final year of his contract with Los Angeles in 2026, but he should be easily extendable if he proves himself as a potential starter on the Chargers defense.
Colson, meanwhile, presents a measure more uncertainty. The Michigan product was productive as a rookie— amassing 29 combined tackles over 11 games— but he missed the entirety of 2025 with a severe shoulder injury. He's back and practicing ahead of the 2026 campaign, but it remains to be seen how truly viable he is on a larger run-defending workload at the NFL level.
The Chargers need to identify a successor for Perryman, especially if there's any uncertainty surrounding Henley or Dye's next contracts. While the inside linebacker room isn't an immediate concern for this season, therefore, the competition we're about to witness in training camp could have major implications for the entire defense down the road.
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