49ers don’t expect to activate rookie Kalia Davis this season

San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive lineman Kalia Davis started the season on the non-football-injury list due to an ACL injury he suffered at UCF in October of 2021. Some speculated that Davis might find his way onto the field this season when the 49ers opened his practice window on December 20.

The 49ers’ head coach doesn’t see that as a realistic possibility, though.

“I think we’d have to have some injuries,” Kyle Shanahan responded when asked about the chances of Davis being activated this season. “That wasn’t something we were thinking about.”

So why open his practice window at all? It was to give the rookie defensive lineman, who missed the entire offseason, some much-needed practice reps.

“We just wanted to get his practice window back, and he’s definitely looked good enough, and good enough to go to where if there were some injuries, it was definitely an option for us,” Shanahan said. “But it’s been good to see him these few weeks. He’s gotten better each week. This week he had the role of playing [Cardinals DE] J.J. [Watt], so he’s gotten to do a bunch of stuff like J.J. He did a hell of a job doing it.”

While Davis’ role has been limited to the scout team in recent weeks, the sixth-round pick is expected to have a more significant role in his second NFL season. It sounds unlikely the 49ers will activate Davis before Tuesday’s deadline. He will likely be shelved for the remainder of the season.