CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns added some depth on the defensive line Friday by agreeing to terms with former 49ers starting defensive tackle Kalia Davis on a one-year deal.
Davis (6-2, 310), started all 17 games for the 49ers last season, making 28 tackles, including four for a loss. He also defended three passes.
Advertisement
Davis, 27, was originally a sixth-round pick of the 49ers out of UCF in 2022. He provides the Browns with some good insurance against the loss of defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who suffered a season-ending torn quad in Week 13 and was placed on injured Dec. 2. Collins, 30, is heading into the final year of his two-year deal.
More Cleveland Browns coverage
An 11th-year pro, Collins excelled in former Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’ tackle-friendly scheme last season, notching a career-high 6.5 sacks in his 12 starts, and seven tackles for a loss.
Davis is one of three free agent defenders the Browns have signed to one-year contracts over the past two days, including cornerbacks Tre Avery and D’Angelo Ross.
Advertisement
Avery, originally signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2022, signed to the Browns practice squad on Sept. 16, and was signed to the active roster on Oct. 14. He appeared in 10 games with the Browns last season, recording 13 tackles including six solo.
Ross, originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of New Mexico in 2019, spend three seasons with New England before landing with the Texans from 2022-2025.
The Browns signed him off the Texans practice squad on Nov. 19.
Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.
Read the original article on cleveland.com. Add cleveland.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.