In the midst of a busy trade deadline, and before Kansas City made a move of its own to acquire receiver Josh Downs, the Denver Broncos did not stand idle either. In a rather shocking move, the 0-8 Los Angeles Chargers decided to trade within the AFC West division, relinquishing budding star linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Broncos in exchange for 2027 4th-round and 2028 5th-round picks.
Immediately, Denver strengthens perhaps its only weakness defensively, which was a lack of athleticism and explosiveness at linebacker. Henley brings that and more, factoring in leadership and tackling ability. For a winless Chargers team that should have been massive sellers, trading away one of their few defensive playmakers makes very little sense.
But then again, the Chargers, as an organization, for years haven't made much sense. Denver, which split the season series with the Chiefs and is currently in the lead position in the division, got better in a spot of growing importance in the league.
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Henley's best season came in 2024 when he accounted for 147 total tackles, 8 passes defensed, one interception, and a sack. He followed it up with another 100-plus-tackle and 3.5-sack campaign. Through eight games this year, Henley is on pace for his third consecutive three-digit tackle year.
This was a very pragmatic move by Denver. It signals the belief they have in this year's squad. And why shouldn't they? The Broncos have won an NFL-record 16 straight one-possession regular-season games, dating back to 2025.
Despite the wins, Chiefs fans will continue to doubt Bo Nix and the prospect of him being any good, but at the end of the day, the Broncos always find a way to win, and there is something to be respected about that. It's similar to the Chiefs in 2024, when all they seemed to do was make two or three plays every game that were the difference between tacking on a win or loss in the record books.
Trading for Henley was a shrewd move by Denver and General Manager George Paton. And one that could help boost Denver into another real shot at making the Super Bowl. They no longer fear the Chiefs as they once did earlier in Mahomes career.
The Broncos have been able to scrape together a couple of wins against KC recently, and while there is a lot of respect between the franchises, there is deep hatred also. The way it should be with rivals.
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