SANTA CLARA – The 49ers on Sunday released veteran offensive lineman Erik Pears, leaving the team with no obvious choice to serve as the swing tackle during the regular season.

Typically, teams suit up only two backup offensive linemen among the 46 players who are allowed to be active for regular-season games. It’s common for one player to handle the backup duties at center and the guard positions, while another player is responsible to serve as the fill-in at the tackle spots.

Anthony Davis appears likely to open the season as the starting right guard, moving from right tackle, where he started 71 games in five season before stepping away from the NFL last year.

Davis could move back to tackle if the 49ers got into a situation in which left tackle Joe Staley or right tackle Trent Brown needed to be replaced during the course of a regular-season game. Davis said he believes he is fully capable of filling that role, but he is not aware of any such plan.

“I don’t know,” Davis said on Sunday. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

[MAIOCCO: 49ers release offensive lineman, tight end; roster at 77]

For now, Davis is focusing on right guard. He started and played 21 snaps of Friday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. It was the first time he played guard in a game since his freshman year at Rutgers.

“When I went back and looked at it, I thought there’s a lot I can work on,” he said. “I can do a lot better. “

What can he do better?

“Block the guy in front of me,” he said. “That was the big thing.

“I think there were two plays where I messed it up (the assignment). I can get better and clean that up.”

Davis said everything happens a lot quicker at guard, as opposed to tackle, including passing off stunts. But he said he is having just as much fun at his new position.

“As competitive as I am, it’s fun to kick somebody’s a-- that’s trained to do it and paid to do it,” Davis said. “So that feels good. I think that’s fun.”