With Junior Colson out, Los Angeles Chargers need 2023 draft pick to emerge

Training camp for the Los Angeles Chargers is off and running, but the news was not all positive as the team kicked things off from its new facility. The team announced that an emergency appendectomy would delay the start of rookie Junior Colson's career.

Though that should not slow Colson down for long, there has been no timetable given for when we might see him on the field. For a rookie, any time missed is going to be a challenge.

But that opens the door for another young linebacker to show his new coaching staff what he is capable of. Selected in the third round last year, Daiyan Henley had a quiet rookie season, but there is a big opportunity for him in L.A.

Daiyan Henley needs to take advantage of every rep in camp

The previous regime selected Henley in the third round of the 2023 draft. During his final two years in college between Nevada and Washington State, he had over 200 tackles. But last season, he was hardly used on defense and was used almost exclusively on special teams.

That leaves him in a precarious position as this season starts. Will the new regime see him as a third-round talent? Or will Jim Harbaugh prefer veterans such as Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye to carry the load until Colson is ready to be part of the first-team defense?

This will be an important time for Henley. He will need to show what he can do while Colson is away. He will need to show that he is more than just a special teams guy.

The inside linebacker was one where questions existed all offseason. The selection of Colson seemed to answer some of those, but the Chargers are still thin at that position. A strong summer from Henley could go a long way towards changing that.