The San Francisco 49ers’ injury problems won’t go away.
It looked like they escaped their preseason opener with just one injury — a broken forearm for cornerback Ambry Thomas. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday while speaking with reporters said defensive lineman Kalia Davis also suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s preseason opener.
Davis will have surgery on his knee and will miss about half the season.
While Davis didn’t have a major role in his first two seasons, he was expected to take on a greater share of snaps in 2024 on a thin 49ers defensive line. He was good in the preseason opener, posting a tackle-for-loss and a sack.
His absence leaves San Francisco shallow at defensive tackle. Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins figure to start at the two DT spots. Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens will also rotate in. Outside of that there aren’t a ton of proven options for the 49ers at DT.
They’ll either need to make an addition or hope a player like T.Y. McGill, Shakel Brown, or undrafted rookie Evan Anderson can step into a bigger role. The 49ers won’t need a ton of snaps from another DT, but it would help insulate them from another injury.
Davis was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft. He ostensibly red-shirted his rookie season after rehabbing a knee injury he suffered in college. Last year he played 54 defensive snaps across three games, posting one tackle and one sack.
