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49ers beat the buzzer to land defensive tackle who ticks all their boxes at the trade deadline

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Nicholas McGee | Last updated Nov 5, 2024 7:22 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers left it late to address a glaring need on the defensive line, beating the buzzer to acquire defensive tackle Khalil Davis from the Houston Texans.

San Francisco, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, dealt a seventh-round pick in 2026 to Houston, marking the second trade the 49ers have made with the Texans to acquire a defensive tackle in 2024.

This past offseason the 49ers sent a seventh-rounder to the Texans for Maliek Collins, who has been San Francisco's most disruptive interior defensive lineman since Javon Hargrave was lost for the season in Week 3.

But the 49ers have clearly been short of difference-makers on the interior without Hargrave, and Davis ticks the boxes of what they typically look for in defensive linemen.

Indeed, Davis tested extremely well coming out of Nebraska, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.81 out of 10 that was underpinned by a strong performance in the drills that measure speed and explosiveness, the most notable being his 10-yard split of 1.66 seconds.

Not difficult to see why the 49ers like Khalil Davis. pic.twitter.com/eKhsBVAz8U
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) November 5, 2024

And Davis boasts that kind of athletic ability while weighing in at 310 pounds, with his heft sure to appeal greatly to a team that has regularly struggled to defend interior runs that have regularly seen the 49ers' defensive tackles blown off the ball by double teams.

Davis has four tackles for loss and a sack this season, and the hope will be that can prove an astute and cheap addition to the rotation on the defensive front that enables the 49ers to improve their run defense and helps them produce more consistent interior disruption.

His arrival means the 49ers are now six deep on the defensive line, Davis joining Collins, Jordan Elliott, Kalia Davis, Kevin Givens and rookie Evan Anderson. That additional depth should take some of the pressure off defensive end Sam Okuayinonu and, when he returns from injury, Yetur Gross-Matos to perform dual roles in playing on interior as well as off the edge. Their flexibility in that regard becomes more of a luxury than a necessity.

On top of that, Davis is a restricted free agent in 2025, meaning he can be more than just a rental for the stretch run for the 49ers, who will be able to easily re-sign him should he impress across the final nine games of the regular season and, hopefully, the playoffs.

It's a move on the margins that will not excite many, but the 49ers have paid a very cheap price for a defensive lineman who fits what they look for at the position and could have a role with the team beyond this season. The 49ers could look very smart in a hurry if Davis becomes a productive member of the rotation.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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