3 young Chargers who must get more playing time with playoffs out of reach

Losing to the Denver Broncos in Week 14 and falling to 5-8 on the season essentially put the LA Chargers out of playoff contention. Losing Justin Herbert for the rest of the season along with the 5-8 record guaranteed that the Bolts wouldn't make the playoffs.

Now the focus has to be on the future for the Chargers. Some of that focus turns to the 2024 NFL Draft and seeing which prospects the team can add to the roster. The Chargers can turn the last four weeks of the season into a chance for opportunity.

There are several young players on the roster who have not shown much this season. Those players should see their snap counts grow in the final four weeks that way the Bolts know exactly what they have for the future.

3 young Chargers who must get more playing time:

Daiyan Henley

The LA Chargers selected linebacker Daiyan Henley in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft when there were more pressing needs (looking at Darnell Washington and the tight end position). That indicated that the Chargers were really high on Henley, who put together a solid training camp and preseason.

However, Henley has not seen much playing time on defense in the regular season. Henley has played just 27 snaps on defense all season, which is not even close to enough to fully gauge what he could be for the Chargers next season.

The linebacker position is up in the air for 2024. Kenneth Murray is a free agent and hasn't done enough to warrant a new deal while Eric Kendricks might be a cap casualty. There is a good chance that Henley has to play a big role in this defense so the team might as well give him a head start now and give him some playing time.