Family Ties: Twins Carlos, Khalil Davis on Opposite Sides of Steelers-Buccaneers

PITTSBURGH — Twin brothers Carlos and Khalil Davis spent the spring and summer of 2022 in the same locker room, but this Sunday, they’ll be on opposite sidelines.

The Davis brothers played together with the Pittsburgh Steelers from Nov. 2, 2021, when the Steelers signed Khalil to their practice squad, to Aug. 30 of this year, when Khalil was released.

When Davis hit the open market, the team that drafted him snatched him back up, and he landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.

This weekend, the Davis family’s tie will be split, with Carlos on the Pittsburgh practice squad and Khalil on Tampa’s.

“Mom roots for Khalil, because he’s the baby,” Carlos Davis said after practice this week. “Dad roots for me. … They’ll try to split up, but they have different sides in their head.”

It’s not clear whether the twins will suit up for the game. The Steelers have three injured defensive linemen, with DeMarvin Leal not expected to play. Defensive end Akiem Hicks is out for the Bucs.

Carlos said the two have never played against one another, and were surprised at how quickly they got to play together in the NFL after joining the league out of Nebraska in the 2022 NFL Draft.

“It was cool,” Carlos Davis said. “We didn’t think it would be able to happen that early.”

Khalil is obviously familiar with the Steelers, after having spent all summer with the team. Carlos is plenty familiar with the Bucs, as well, spending time with the team during the 2020 run to the Super Bowl after the Steelers were eliminated.

The twins obviously were happy playing together in Pittsburgh, but it was a tough circumstance for the pair of defensive tackles in that they were standing in each other’s way for a spot on the active roster. Carlos said he’s happy that Khalil ended up back in Tampa, even if he won’t be hoping for success for him this Sunday.

“That’s the team that drafted him. He has a bond with that city. I think he enjoyed his time here being with me and he was able to get the best of both worlds. Tampa’s not a bad place.”