Daiyan Henley might not be the only top linebacker on the Chargers.
Former Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o, who is now an analyst for NFL Network, recently compiled his list of the top 10 linebackers in the league entering 2025.
And on his Top 10 list was none other than former teammate Denzel Perryman, who enters his 11th season in the league this year.
Te'o ranked Perryman at No. 9, as the veteran continues to put together a good body of work for the Bolts.
Te'o wrote:
My Chargers teammate for two seasons (2015 and '16), Perryman has an uncanny ability to sit while the ball is snapped, then shoot out of a cannon and meet the ball in the backfield. I don't think it's a coincidence that Ray Lewis played the same way; both enjoyed decorated college careers at Miami. Perryman is entering his 11th NFL season and has been an underrated player for much of his career, partially due to a lengthy injury history. In his healthiest season in 2021, he logged 154 tackles and made the Pro Bowl with the Raiders. When his body's right, Perryman is a reliable, hard-nosed, hard-hitting defender.
Perryman started 11 games for the Chargers last season and was an integral part of the No. 1 defense in the league both on and off the field.
He racked up 55 tackles (39 solo), a sack and two tackles for loss and was a reliable presence for the unit.
A former Pro Bowler, the veteran linebacker returned to the Bolts in free agency this offseason and figures to be another guy tone-setter in the middle of the defense.
