Niners Nation
The 49ers added some much-needed beef along the defensive line.
Just before the trade deadline, the San Francisco 49ers acquired defensive tackle Khalil Davis in a trade with the Houston Texans for a 2026 7th-round pick, according to a report by Dianna Russini. The Niners had a clear need to bolster their depth along the defensive front and were seemingly able to get at least one deal done before the buzzer. While far from an impact player, Davis has been a solid rotational interior defensive lineman throughout his career.
Davis has appeared in nine games this season in Houston, recording 9 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits, and 1.0 sack. Last year, Davis racked up 32 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 6 quarterback hits, and 2.0 sacks in 15 games in DeMeco Ryans’ defense.
Originally a 6th-round pick in the 2020 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davis only appeared in two games as a rookie before he was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts. He only appeared in one game with Indy before he was released, bounced around practice squads, and even joined the USFL briefly before catching on with Houston last year.
Davis will be reunited with former Texans defensive tackle Malik Collins along the 49ers front. This is the third time the 49ers have traded for a defensive lineman from the Houston Texans.
They’ve had two successful trades prior to acquiring Davis. Collins was teammates with Davis. Before that, the Niners acquired Charles Omenihu, who was a breakout star for the 49ers in 2022.
The assumption might be that Davis’s role won’t be the same as Collins or Omenihu, and at 6’2, 315 pounds, his primary duty is to stop the run. Davis’s playing time fluctuated with the Texans this season. He played anywhere between 21 and 50 percent of the snaps. But in the majority of games this season, Davis has had more pass-rushing snaps than run snaps.
Davis is a free agent after this season and has a base salary of under $1 million after proration.
