Get To Know New Cleveland Browns Defensive Tackle Kalia Davis

The Cleveland Browns have always prioritized defense, and are looking to try and give Myles Garrett some more help on the defensive line.

Cleveland already signed former All-Pro linebacker Quincy Williams, along with re-signing a pair of corners in D’Angelo Ross and Tre Avery. Now they turn their attention to the defensive tackles.

The Browns have signed former 49ers defensive tackle Kalia Davis to a one-year deal with $3 million.

Kalia Davis’s background

After serving as a rotational piece for the 49ers over his first two seasons, Davis finally got a chance this past year. He started all 17 games.

He finished the year with 28 total tackles and four tackles for loss. He also had half a sack on the season, and batted down three passes. He has 41 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception for his career.

Davis is the type of player who can contribute to a team, without it always showing up on the stat sheet. He holds up blockers in the run game and creates gaps for linebackers to make bigger plays.

He also is smart in his pass rushing, even if he can’t always get to the quarterback. He knows how to get into passing lanes and time it to get a hand on the ball, or block the quarterback's vision. He’s very similar to former Brown Shelby Harris in that sense.

Davis will be looking to prove that he can be a starter in the league after beginning to breakout last season in San Francisco.

How does Davis fit on the team?

Davis will be looking to try and take over as the second starting defensive tackle alongside Mason Graham this season.

Maliek Collins will likely still be coming back from injury, and may not be back to full strength until a couple months into the season. That leaves a pretty major void in the Browns’ run defense that Davis can fill.

He’ll be competing against Mike Hall Jr. and Adin Huntington for the starting spot. Cleveland could also add some talent in the draft still.

Both Hall and Huntington shine as pass rushers, with some upside in the run game. It’ll all depend on how aggressive Cleveland’s defense is going to be in pass rush. Either way, it’s likely all three lineman will be consistently subbing and seeing plenty of reps.

It’s another solid signing for the Browns as they try to fill roster holes with limited cap space. Cleveland gets a fifth defensive tackle who can play a valuable role, keeping the Browns’ defense elite.