SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers heaped praise on quarterback Nate Davis on Tuesday morning and backed it up with action in the late afternoon.

The team released 12-year veteran Damon Huard, making Davis, a fifth-round draft pick out of Ball State, the No. 3 quarterback heading into the regular season. Though Huard has had a solid offseason, he has been eclipsed by Davis, who has jumped out in the last two exhibition games.
“He has a calm demeanor about him,” offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said of Davis early in the day. “He has an ability to go fast and not hurry, and if a guy is open he can hit him.”
The 49ers acquired Huard in the offseason to be a steady hand if the team ever had to turn to its third passer, something the 49ers have been forced to do the last two seasons. Huard, 36, started three games last season for Kansas City and completed 62 percent of his passes.
“He was a professional in every sense,” coach Mike Singletary said of Huard in a news release. “What he did with our quarterbacks was outstanding. He helped them to have a better idea about what it takes to be a pro. Not only did he provide them great tips throughout, but he helped build their confidence.”
At this time last year Davis was considered a potential high-round draft pick.
He faltered at the end of the college season, however, and then was hurt by the notion that a learning disability would hinder his development in the NFL. Davis has said he learns much better through drawings and diagrams than he does by reading.
Raye on Tuesday said Davis might be a bit behind as far as knowing the 49ers’ offense. But he said it was because Shaun Hill and Alex Smith have gotten the lion’s share of the practice repetitions this offseason, not because Davis has had trouble picking up the playbook.
“His normal development was retarded by the fact that there were equal snaps divvied up between No. 1 and No. 2, Hill and Smith,” Raye said. “So he was a little bit behind in terms of his actual workload in practice. What he got was kind of an after-the-fact deal. To be where he is with the kind of work he has gotten, we are very pleased with that.”