Tackle Anthony Davis, who left the 49ers 4 years ago due to chronic head injuries, wants another shot at the NFL and was released by the club on Tuesday.
Offensive tackle Anthony Davis, looking for another return to the NFL, was released Tuesday by the San Francisco 49ers and the former first-round pick can now pursue a spot with any NFL club as a free agent.
According to The Sacramento Bee, Davis was released from the team’s reserved-retired list as the 49ers re-signed cornerback Dontae Johnson, who left the club as a free agent in 2018.
Davis was taken with the 11th overall pick out of Rutgers by the 49ers in the 2010 NFL Draft and started 64 straight games for San Francisco through his first four seasons before being limited to seven games with concussion issues in 2014.
That was the cause cited by Davis when he retired from the 49ers in June 2015, a decision that irked former general manager Trent Baalke because of its timing, coming well after the top free agents were off the market and following the NFL Draft.
Davis returned to the 49ers in 2016, but retired less than a month into the season after being on the field for three offensive snaps and four special teams plays in the season opener against the then-St. Louis Rams.
Davis will be 30 in October.
He told Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio earlier this month that he was seeking to be reinstated by the NFL and wanted to return to the field. In his letter to the NFL Players Association that was later forwarded to the league, Davis cited improvements in player safety.
“On Jan. 24, 2019, I read articles by 3 different sources pertaining to there being a significant decrease in concussions in the NFL, down by 29 percent in the 2018 season.
“Excited to see that the changes you and your staff have made to the rules, and the allowance of safer equipment to be worn, has had a positive effect. I confided with my family and on Jan. 28, 2019, I made the decision that I’d love to play in the NFL again.”
Davis said he delayed his request because of past use of CBD, a compound found in marijuana plants that does not result in the high associated with the THC found in the plant.
CBD is used to treat chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression and other conditions, according to the Project CBD website, but its use could result in a positive test in drug screening.
Davis told PFT he had voluntarily entered the Drug Free Sports Testing Program and reported no missed tests or failures since enrolling earlier this year.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 323 pounds, Davis was flagged for three holding calls and 16 false starts in 71 career NFL starts, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.