In his first year as a full-time starter, Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley asserted dominance in the middle of Los Angeles' defense, racking up a team-leading 147 tackles.
As far as he's concerned, he's just getting started.
"It's a process, and I'm not ever trying to be stagnant," Henley said Thursday, per the team's website. "Last year was last year, it is what it is. I can improve. There's so much more for me out there."
To go with his 147 tackles, which placed him eighth in the league, Henley also had eight passes defensed, seven tackles for loss, an interception and a sack. His breakout campaign was a far cry from his rookie season in which the 2023 third-rounder played rotationally across 15 games with just 16 tackles.
By coming into his own, he helped supercharge a Chargers defense that ranked first in scoring for the first time as an NFL franchise. The last time the Chargers placed atop all others in points allowed, it was as a member of the AFL in 1963.
Henley's improvements came without the weight of expectations.
That'll be different in Year 3, now under the microscope after manning L.A.'s linebacking corps with such success. Regardless, any hopes outside the building for what's to come won't compare to Henley's own.
"I think the biggest thing about expectations like that is that they have to start within," he said. "It's not something that people should bestow upon you, you have to want that for yourself to go get it.
"That's always been my goal and aspirations, to be that type of player [in] this league for years to come. Whether it's this year, next year, that's something I'm continuously working for."
Part of Henley's continued evolution includes an uptick in leadership responsibilities.
The Chargers are rich with veteran leadership, namely pass rusher Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James on the defensive side of things, but there remains room to step up -- especially after L.A. parted with Joey Bosa this offseason.
James, who told reporters he believes Henley possesses an All-Pro ceiling, has already noticed the off-ball linebacker applying more influence throughout the team's offseason program.
"He's talking more, he's being that leader, he's confident," James said. "I feel like the more Daiyan continues to play, the more he continues to lead, it'll be that much easier for him. He's that type of guy."
Henley also has room to improve production-wise if he's to hit the ceiling at the impressive height James set for him.
Although he was a tackling machine, Henley only received a 69.5 overall defensive grade from PFF, with a 65 in run defense and 71.3 in coverage. The Eagles' Zack Baun, who made first-team All-Pro at inside LB and totaled four more tackles than Henley, finished the 2024 campaign with a 90.2 defensive grade, 79.4 run defense grade and 90.9 coverage grade.
There's a gap between Henley and the game's best, and by the way he's talking, he means to close it.
Whether doing so involves attaining individual accolades or more weighty statistical milestones, the 25-year-old is choosing to keep such specifics under wraps for now.
"I got goals and expectations for sure, but I'm going to keep them to myself because it's something I'm continuously saying, something I'm continuously working for," Henley said. "We'll leave it like that. Just going to get to it and see where I land."
