Following the offseason departures of some key defensive linemen, the 49ers are set to rely on several unproven players in the upcoming NFL season — particularly on the interior.

San Francisco released veteran defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins, while the team selected Alfred Collins and CJ West in the 2025 NFL Draft to fill the hole at that position.

While most of the outside attention has been directed towards those rookies, another defensive tackle, third-year player Kalia Davis, quietly is making a strong case to take on a larger role within Robert Saleh’s defense.

After Tuesday’s training camp practice, Davis was asked about his reaction to those offseason losses and if it motivated him to take advantage of the resulting opportunity.

“Most definitely,” Davis told reporters. “When I saw that, I was just, you know, I got to take a bigger step than what I initially was going to take. I wanted to just get better every day I take the field.”

Davis recorded three tackles, including a sack, during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, continuing what has been a “good camp,” said the 26-year-old.

What has made this a good training camp for Davis, you ask?

“For me, it’s just taking the field with my guys every day,” he explained. “I’m really still a young defensive lineman — I started playing D-line in 2019. I started at D-end, then I moved to D-tackle later on that year. So, I’ve actually played D-tackle longer in the NFL than I have in the rest of my life.

“So it’s just being able to take the field and get the experience that I can get. Staying healthy is huge for me. That’s why I’m saying I’m having a good camp.”

It might be hard to believe now, looking at Davis’ massive 310-pound frame, but he was an inside linebacker until converting to a lineman as a redshirt sophomore at UCF.

Even now, Davis only has 18 games of college experience and 16 regular-season games of NFL experience at defensive line. So, it’s possible the former sixth-round pick in 2022 still has plenty of potential left before he reaches his ceiling.

And given the 49ers’ crucial need for production at defensive tackle, a significant jump in production from Davis could be a massive boost for San Francisco’s playoff hopes this season.

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