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.
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.
Javon Hargrave is out for the season with a partially torn triceps. The 49ers have been banged up at defensive tackle this season as Jordan Elliott, Kalia Davis, and Kevin Givens have all missed time. Evan Anderson is a rookie undrafted free agent. Anderson’s upside is palpable, but depth has been a concern since Hargrave’s loss.
Davis has four tackles for loss, a sack, and three quarterback hits this season. He had his best game against the New England Patriots offensive line, as most players do. Davis had four pressures on 22 pass-rushing snaps. He also had productive games against the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps the most promising sign when you look at Davis’s box scores is that his production remains as his snap counts increase.
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.
Davis is a free agent after this season. After proration, he’ll cost the 49ers under $650,000 against the cap.
A good showing and Davis could earn himself a future contract with the 49ers. Jones and Davis are in the final years of their contracts. Hargrave will be coming off a season-ending knee injury. That leaves Elliott, Collins, and Anderson.
