49ers roster 2024: Kalia Davis seems to have run out of time
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers took a flier on Kalia Davis in 2022, but his first two years in the league haven't generated any significant results.
Former UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis was going to require a relatively elongated path to cracking out a role on the San Francisco 49ers roster.
Back in 2022 when the Niners drafted him in the sixth round, they knew Davis would likely redshirt his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL late in his collegiate career. If anything, Davis would be a long-term reinforcement, aiming to make his impact felt in 2023 at the earliest.
When finally getting the chance to do so, though, Davis wasn't exactly a vital defensive contributor.
Davis had a provocative stat line in 2023, serving as a weekly inactive until Week 13 when he finally got into action, recorded a tackle, quarterback hit and a sack in the first of just three games played last season.
While that was an impressive debut, it apparently didn't do enough to keep Davis in the defensive rotation through the rest of the year and into the playoffs.
Now, in the wake of further roster changes heading into 2024, Davis faces an uncertain future where his spot on the depth chart is seriously in doubt.
Kalia Davis has been pushed to the periphery of 49ers roster
The release of defensive tackle Arik Armstead earlier this offseason freed up some room on the defensive line's interior, but that was negated and then some by pickups of fellow defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Maliek Collins.
Then, San Francisco dished out $280,000 in guaranteed cash for undrafted free-agent defensive tackle Evan Anderson following the 2024 draft, suggesting it identified a likely Davis replacement on the roster.
Granted, the 49ers have talked promisingly about Davis in the past, but following the money is usually a stronger indication.
Davis would carry only $33,000 in dead money if he fails to make the 53-man roster and is cut prior to Week 1.
Of course, the Niners merely want the best player possible to help back up the D-line's interior, and Davis will at least have a shot to beat out others like Anderson, Kevin Givens and T.Y. McGill for what'd likely be the final spot on the depth chart.
But the odds are long, and Davis might have run out of time.