Kalia

Davis

The 2022 second-round defensive lineman has struggle to stay healthy during his brief career, appearing in only three contests for the 49ers over the previous two seasons. He requires surgery on his knee and is expected to miss half of the 2024 season, a blow to the depth along the defensive line in San Francisco. Kalia was having a strong camp and parlayed that success into a sack and two tackles for loss in the team’s first preseason game Saturday.

The team elevated two defensive linemen via standard elevation in an associated move, bringing up Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill for the big game. The 49ers remain the healthier team but will be a bit thinner along the defensive line against the Chiefs.

John Lynch told reporters that they were just “being safe” with Verrett as he attempts to come back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 1 of last season. He will miss the first four games of the season. San Francisco invested heavily in corner depth these past two offseasons and should be in a good spot as Verrett gets healthy. The team also placed DT Kalia Davis on the reserve/non-football injury list, and he will also miss at least four weeks.

Davis (6’1/302) is a fifth-year player who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. When he returned in 2021, Davis was named as a full-time starter but missed out on UCF’s final eight games due to a torn ACL. In his limited action, Davis totaled 17 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and one sack. While not the biggest of defensive tackles, Davis flashes at times on tape, getting quick jumps off the line of scrimmage to devastate backfields. A former linebacker turned lineman, Davis appears to have maintained some of his speed despite the added weight. He possesses multiple moves to penetrate opposing lines and can shift his body to squeeze between gaps. Having played in only five games since 2019, Davis will need to show that his recent tape and production were no fluke. Davis could be used in multiple defensive fronts given his versatility.