The San Francisco 49ers could be close to receiving a boost along the defensive line. The team officially opened the practice window for defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. The Niners will have up to 21 days to evaluate Kinlaw during practices and decide if he should be activated off the injured reserve list.
"It's been so frustrating for him," head coach Kyle Shanahan shared before Tuesday's practice. "It's been a long battle, going back to the Cowboys game from a couple of years ago. I know he feels as good as he's felt. I know how hard he's worked to get to this point. I know how pumped he is to [have] an opportunity to come back and be a part of a playoff team. So just talking to him this morning, he is geared up, ready to go as good as I've seen him, and his spirits are high."
Shanahan says the 49ers want to make certain Kinlaw had practice without his knee issues flaring up again and forcing yet another setback.
"That's why we've been very patient in the rehab and everything," Shanahan said. "He's been extremely consistent with it, and we've been able to do it for a while here without any setbacks. And we've done as much as we can. The only thing left for him to do is put pads on and go out there and play. So there's always a risk of it, but we're at the point, he's at the point where it's time to find out."
The 49ers announced that Kinlaw would not practice on Tuesday afternoon. Instead, he will return to the practice field on Wednesday.
San Francisco also announced that the team has signed cornerback Tre Swilling to the practice squad and opened the practice window for defensive lineman Kalia Davis, who was on the non-football injury list. The 49ers made Davis a sixth-round selection, No. 220 overall, out of UCF in this year's draft.
"He has a chance [to play in games this season]," Shanahan said of Davis. "This is his first time getting out there, so I'm not trying to put pressure on him. But we'd like to see him. He didn't get to compete with us here in the offseason, so we'll open his three-week window today, and he'll get a chance to go out there and, hopefully, get into football shape and show us what he can do."
The additions of Kinlaw and Davis might help a defensive tackle group that has seen the return of Arik Armstead but has been impacted by recent injuries to Kevin Givens and Hassan Ridgeway.
Kinlaw has not played since Week 3 due to a setback in his surgically reconstructed knee. He landed on the 49ers' injured reserve list on October 15 after recording just two tackles in his three game appearances.
San Francisco made Kinlaw the No. 14 overall pick in 2020. The third-year defensive tackle has appeared in only seven games over the past two seasons and recorded just 1.5 sacks during his NFL career.
Kinlaw's Pro Football Focus grades have declined since his overall grade of 54.1 during his rookie campaign. A 50.4 overall grade followed in 2021 when he played in four games, and the defender earned a 46.7 overall grade through his three games this season.
The 49ers Communication staff provided the following rundown on Swilling.
Swilling (6-1, 196) originally entered the NFL after signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022. Swilling was waived by the Titans on August 30, 2022 and later signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad on September 13, 2022 before being released on October 4, 2022.
A 23-year-old native of New Orleans, LA, Swilling attended Georgia Tech (2017-21), where he appeared in 42 games (40 starts) and registered 100 tackles, 23 passes defensed, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble.
