NFL locals: Daiyan Henley has standout game in honor of late brother
On a third-down play in the second quarter, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley (Washington State) burst into the backfield for a sack, then dropped to his knees in prayer.
Henley was playing with a heavy heart Sunday during the Chargers’ 27-20 win over Tennessee. His older brother, Jabari, was killed in a shooting on Friday night in Los Angeles.
“I just wanted to talk to my brother one more time,” Henley, holding back tears, told reporters after the game. “It was just an emotional moment for me to just be able to make a play on a day like this, just losing him so soon. It’s been a long year for me, so I had to send a prayer up, and hopefully he heard it.”
Daiyan Henley dedicated his performance to his late brother. And the Chargers linebacker shined while playing through grief.
He recorded a team-high nine tackles, one pass deflection and one QB hit to go along with the sack – the third of the season for Henley, who brought down former WSU teammate Cam Ward for an 8-yard loss, then fell to his knees for a moment and bowed his head.
“What I’m going through right now, as big as it is, I felt like I just had to handle my job and get back to the fam as soon as I can,” Henley said.
Henley, a third-year pro and first-year team captain who starred at WSU in 2022, played all but two defensive snaps just over a day after receiving the tragic news about his “best friend,” whom Henley called “the protector of our family.”
“At about 6 in the morning I found out, got a call from my mom,” he said.
“(Chargers linebacker) Denzel (Perryman) was right there. Shout-out to my coach, (L.A. linebackers coach) NaVorro Bowman. He was right there as I went through it.
“It was a long day for me, and everybody showed up,” Henley continued. “Coach (Jim) Harbaugh showed up, (defensive coordinator) Jesse Minter showed up. Every single one of my teammates showed up. That’s why I was out there today and able to do what I did, just because I had a lot of support and I knew that I wasn’t gonna let them down. And obviously, I didn’t wanna let my family down. I felt like I needed to do this for my family.”
Henley looked like his all-star self again after a couple of down weeks. He’d struggled recently, logging fewer than five tackles in each of the past two games after a strong early stretch of the season, during which Henley played like an All-Pro candidate.
For the season, Henley has tallied a team-high 61 tackles.
• Frankie Luvu (WSU), a starting linebacker for Washington, tied for second on the team with seven tackles, adding a pass deflection during the Commanders’ 38-14 loss to Seattle.
• Jaylen Watson (WSU), a starting cornerback for Kansas City, played all but one defensive snap during the Chiefs’ 28-21 loss to Buffalo.
Watson, a fourth-year pro, registered five tackles (four solo). Unofficially, he gave up three receptions, two of which went for short gains. But Watson had a rare coverage lapse in the second quarter, allowing a 30-yard reception to tight end Dawson Knox.
• Jaden Hicks (WSU) played sparingly at strong safety for Kansas City, appearing on only a handful of snaps, according to Pro Football Focus’ tracker. The second-year pro, who sometimes starts for the Chiefs, had two tackles (both solo).
• Cam Ward (WSU), the rookie quarterback for Tennessee, had another inefficient outing as the Titans fell to 1-8 with a loss to the Chargers.
The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Ward completed 12 of 21 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He fumbled twice, but the Titans recovered both.
Ward took four sacks, pushing his league-high sack total to 38 on the year.
• Chau Smith-Wade (WSU) rotated sporadically into the Carolina Panthers’ lineup at cornerback, logging 38 of a possible 63 defensive snaps during a 16-13 win over Green Bay.
The second-year pro had one tackle.
• Christian Elliss (Idaho), an inside linebacker for New England, sustained a minor hip injury during a second-quarter PAT and was held out for the rest of the game, a 24-23 Patriots win over Atlanta.
Elliss only played on six possessions and logged 18 defensive snaps, but he was productive nonetheless. Appearing on punts, kickoffs, and rotating often into the defensive lineup, the fifth-year pro finished third on the team with five tackles and added two QB pressures.
Elliss also won some bragging rights over his older brother, Kaden, a standout linebacker for the Falcons.
• Kaden Elliss (Idaho) played all 68 defensive snaps for Atlanta, finishing tied for second on the team with five tackles (four solo) and one QB hit.
The seventh-year vet, a team captain and rising NFL star, leads the Falcons on the year with 53 tackles.
Pawtucket Times reporter Brendan McGair posted a video to X of the Elliss brothers meeting after the game in the tunnel and exchanging a hug. Teammates at Idaho from 2017-18, the Elliss brothers have now squared off against each other twice in the NFL – the first time was in Week 17 of the 2022-23 season, when Christian played for Philadelphia and Kaden for New Orleans.
• Kendrick Bourne (EWU) had 34 yards on two receptions for San Francisco during its 34-24 win over the New York Giants.
Bourne, a veteran pass-catcher, is second on the team and first among 49ers receivers this season in receiving yards with 463, but he has yet to score a touchdown. Star San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey leads the team in receiving with 626 yards.
• Efton Chism III (EWU), a rookie receiver and return man for New England, reclaimed his role as the Patriots’ primary kick returner and recorded 79 yards on three returns with a long of 31 yards during the win over Atlanta.
Chism, an undrafted free-agent signing, is averaging 24.8 yards on 10 returns in three games this season.
• Cooper Kupp (EWU), a starting receiver for Seattle, missed the game against Washington due to a hamstring injury. The ninth-year pro and first-year Seahawk has 293 yards receiving and one touchdown on the season.