Getty
The San Francisco 49ers are starting to make significant decisions regarding players on the verge of free agency. In one of their first moves after the NFL Scouting Combine, they are prepared to let one of their most impactful interior defensive linemen from a season ago hit the open market.
According to insider Jordan Schultz, the team has decided not to tender veteran defensive tackle Kalia Davis. The former sixth-round pick out of UCF in 2022 was a restricted free agent but is now slated to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Sources: The #49ers are not planning to tender DT Kalia Davis as an RFA.
He will now become a free agent. Davis started all 17 games last year for San Francisco in Robert Saleh’s defense.
Kalia Davis Helped Give the San Francisco 49ers an Edge
Despite winning 12 games this past season, the 49ers were unable to make a deep run in the playoffs. Part of the reason why this was the case was because of the major injuries suffered by notable defensive stars such as linebacker Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. So, it was clear that this defense needed as many players to step up as possible in the regular season without two of its most impactful pieces.
Getty49ers defensive tackle Kalia Davis will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after three seasons in the Bay Area.
Step up is exactly what Davis did. For the first time in his career, he both played in and started all 17 games during the regular season. He set career-highs in combined tackles (28), tackles for loss (4), batted balls (3), and quarterback hits (2).
Davis more than helped keep the 11th-ranked Niners defense afloat in the back half of the season. San Francisco ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak before eventually losing to the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs.
How Can the Niners Replace Kalia Davis?
Getty49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is still searching for his first-ever Super Bowl win.
The simple fact of the matter is that the 49ers have a plan to replace Davis if he ultimately ends up signing elsewhere in free agency. They wouldn’t have let him hit the open market if they didn’t have a backup plan.
Other serviceable, young defensive tackles such as Alfred Collins, Mykel Williams, and C.J. West all impressed at certain points throughout the season and could be key interior defenders of the future. Veteran defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, much like Davis, is also set to hit free agency after a successful second season with the 49ers.
Of course, the franchise does have six draft selections within the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, as well as a projected $38.9 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. There will be ample opportunity for this now Robert Saleh-less defense to add more talent along the trenches.
After allowing 41 points and 175 rushing yards to the Seahawks with the season on the line, look for 49ers GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to make adding at least one more impactful defensive lineman a top priority. If the 49ers can do that and stay healthy, they could be a force to be reckoned with in 2026 and beyond.
Tim Lindsey A Chicago-area native, Tim Lindsey has covered the world of sports through a variety of different lenses. More specifically, he has been an NFL writer for sites such as Sports Illustrated and PFSN. Notable teams like the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers have been a major point of emphasis for the longtime writer in the past. More about Tim Lindsey
More Heavy on 49ers
Loading more stories