The Cleveland Browns needed some inside defensive line help after the 2025 season had concluded. There were some answers already in place, but also some question marks.
What didn’t need to be solved was rookie DT Mason Graham’s (6’-4”, 315 pounds) season. He came as advertised after being selected fifth overall in last year’s NFL draft. He was voted to the NFL All-Rookie Team and was durable, playing all 17 games with 17 starts.
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But that is
where the virtuousness ends, and the unanswered questions begin.
DT Mike Hall (6’-3”, 300 pounds) was taken in Round 2 a year before and was supposed to be the player that Graham became. Someone who could plug up the middle of the line and stop the run, and give some occasional pass rush. But so far, he hasn’t played much, with just 17 games in his two seasons and just three starts. Plus, his production is nowhere to be found, with 14 tackles last season and 11 tackles this year.
Another DT, Maliek Collins (6’-2”, 310 pounds), was brought in during last year’s free agency period and played admirably with 12 starts. He is a 10-year veteran who doesn’t get huge tackle numbers (25), but makes up for it with a lot of QB hits (13), tackles for loss (7), and pressures (15).
DT Shelby Harris ended the year as a free agent, and DT/DE Sam Kamara was a restricted free agent. He was the dependable one who got some good pass rush in addition to his run-stopping abilities. The Browns did not even tender Kamara, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
On the roster still is Adin Huntington (6’-1”, 281 pounds), who has the versatility to play inside or out. But GM Andrew Berry wasn’t satisfied with the room. Maybe Berry would be content if Hall were showing more than he has, especially since Cleveland used a valuable second-round draft pick on him.
In the meantime, Berry inked DT Kalia Davis (6’-2”, 310 pounds) from the San Francisco 49ers to a one-year $3 million deal to come in and compete. His first name is pronounced kuh-LEE-uh. The defensive tackle room usually is just four guys who rotate in all game, so the competition this year will be fierce.
Who is Davis? What does he offer the Browns?
Beginnings
Davis, age 27, grew up in Pensacola, Florida, and attended West Florida Tech High School. He played basketball as a power forward and averaged 7.6 rebounds a game. He was a linebacker on their football team. As a senior, he had 107 total tackles, nine sacks, and two interceptions. Davis was named First Team Florida 5A All-State and named to the Pensacola News-Journal First Team All-Area squad. In his junior campaign, he earned Honorable Mention All-State honors as well as Pensacola News-Journal First Team All-Area.
In high school, he weighed 235 pounds with a height of 6’-2”. He was ranked a three-star prospect by rivals.com, and was recruited heavily: Florida, Appalachian State, Central Arkansas, Florida A&M, Mercer, Western Kentucky, Alcorn State, Alabama A&M, McNeese, Buffalo, Troy, Bowling Green, South Alabama, Kent State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Middle Tennessee, UCF, East Carolina, Tulane, Cincinnati, Georgia State, Mississippi Valley, North Carolina Central, Samford, and Southeastern Louisiana.
Davis chose UCF and was there all four years, but played three seasons. The UCF coaching staff moved him from linebacker to defensive line as his body expanded, and he was able to carve out a substantial role. He redshirted his true freshman year, and then played in 10 games in his freshman season of 2018, recording 17 tackles.
As a sophomore, Davis played in all 13 games with nine starts. He had 27 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, one batted pass, 2 hurries, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He was named First Team All-American Conference and earned AAC All-Academic Team honors.
Things got a bit jumbled in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Davis opted out of the season to protect himself from the COVID-19 virus, but again earned AAC All-Academic Team honors.
Coming back as a senior, he tore his ACL in Week 5, which required surgery and ended his season. In those five games, he had 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 3 hurries. Despite playing a handful of games, he was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week once.
He received an invitation to the Combine. His measurables included: 30 bench press reps (225 pounds), wingspan – 6’-8”, arm length – 33 5/8”, and hand span – 9.5.” He did not run at the Combine due to his continued rehab, but before the injury was clocked at 4.89 in the 40.
Davis had gotten a reputation for his strength and line play as an interior defensive lineman rather than his speed testing.
On to the NFL
Needless to say, when Davis opted out of his junior year because of the pandemic, he was counting on a really good senior year to support and elevate his draft status. When he had the knee injury, that killed his status. NFL scouts now had to rely on his sophomore year to gauge his abilities. He had a draft statue of Day 3 or even going undrafted.
He was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Davis inked a four-year contract for $3.8 million.
Davis missed his entire rookie season due to the continuation of his knee injury and was placed on the PUP list in August.
In 2023, he had a good camp, but played sparingly in three games with zero starts because of a high-ankle sprain.
Training camp for 2024 was not a good sign. Davis played just 30 snaps in the 49ers’ preseason opener when he injured his knee. It was later identified as structural damage behind his kneecap. Two days later, he had yet another surgery. At the conclusion of training camp, San Fran kept him on the final roster, then placed him on IR, which retained his rights and allowed the team to bring him back at some point during the season.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, according to NBC Sports, said this regarding the progress of Davis:
“I thought it was one of his best games. It was really unfortunate. He played awesome throughout the whole game. That’s why he and us were really surprised that he had such a tough injury. It’s a setback, but he had such a good camp, such a good game, he’s in a good spot to bounce back.”
Davis was activated on October 5, just before the Week 5 contest against the Arizona Cardinals. He finished with 12 total tackles in 13 games played, with one batted pass and one interception.
In Week 5 of the 2025 season, he broke his hand in the 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. He had surgery the following day. The roster was full of injured defensive players for most of the season for San Fran, and Davis was just one of them. It was expected that he could return in two or three games wearing a club.
He later had a slight ankle issue, but did not miss any games after being ruled as questionable for Week 10.
For his career, Davis has played in 33 games with 17 starts, 41 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, three batted passes, three QB hits, 1 interception, 2 hurries, 1 knockdown, 1.5 sacks, and 3 missed tackles.
Davis has missed quite a few games because of injuries. What does he bring to Cleveland? More depth. That’s what the Davis signing is about. Brown head coach Todd Monken wants to dominate the trenches, and that takes bodies.
When healthy, Davis will flash short-area quickness with an explosive burst. He has good strength, but has limits due to his marginal arm length. He lacks violent hands and doesn’t shed blockers as he should. But Davis will play with good leverage despite average bulk.
