Back in the 2022 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers knew they'd have to be patient when they selected former UCF defensive lineman Kalia Davis in Round 6, No. 220 overall.
After all, Davis suffered a torn ACL the previous season prior to being drafted, and that effectively led to him redshirting his rookie year and not seeing the field until 2023.
The Niners nevertheless remained hopeful the 6-foot-2 and 310-pound converted linebacker could fill a key void left by nose tackle D.J. Jones, who had departed for the Denver Broncos in free agency, previously.
Three years after being drafted, the Davis experiment seems to have run out of steam.
Having played just three games in 2023, and then another 13 in 2024 after dealing with a knee issue early on that year, Davis' career stat line equates to 13 tackles, a sack and an improbable interception, arguably the lone highlight of his pro career to date.
Entering year for, and in light of San Francisco's wide-sweeping changes to its defensive line this offseason, it's hard envisioning Davis carving out a niche role once the regular season begins.
Kalia Davis (again) in danger of losing his spot on 49ers roster
Granted, the same argument could have been made a year ago, especially after knee surgery that August guaranteed he wouldn't be ready for the start of 2024.
But that injury might have worked to Davis' benefit, as an injury-riddled 49ers squad ultimately needed some in-season reinforcement, and the D-lineman certainly provided that.
However, the Niners spent considerable effort revamping their D-line this offseason in the wake of coordinator Robert Saleh's return, jettisoning more proven veterans like Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins while adding fresh-faced and promising rookies, Alfred Collins and C.J. West.
Those latter two signify the future for San Francisco on the interior, meaning Davis (a player Saleh didn't choose but inherited) gets pushed to the periphery almost by default. Other depth interior D-linemen like Kevin Givens, Jordan Elliott and Evan Anderson all seem to have better shots to survive cuts than Davis, and it's not fully likely the 49ers keep all three of those names either.
Over the Cap has Davis poised to earn up to $1.133 million in the final year of his rookie contract, but only $33,003 is dead money, should the Niners opt to move on.
Granted, Davis survived being fully dismissed by San Francisco a year ago at this time despite speculation of such, and it's possible he does so again.
But, that speculation hasn't gone away, meaning his tenure is tenuous.