The 49ers have found a place-kicker. Now, they'll turn their attention to finding a punter.

Wade Richey, a rookie place-kicker from Louisiana Tech, has been handed the Niners' kicking job for now, but he'll have to work hard to keep it.

Richey spent most of the summer in camp with the Seattle Seahawks. While there, he impressed coaches with his strong leg, but with Todd Peterson on the roster, the Seahawks had little choice but to waive the 22-year-old, which they did two days prior to the Niners' preseason finale in Seattle.

That's exactly when the Niners stepped into the picture and gave Richey a chance of a lifetime. Unhappy with John Becksvoort's inability to kick the ball deep on kickoffs, the 49ers released Becksvoort and quickly snatched up Richey, who proceeded to win over the hearts of his new teammates by hitting field goals of 45 and 53 yards in the Niners' 21-20 preseason loss in Seattle last Friday.

The 49ers are looking for a punter after reaching an injury settlement with Tommy Thompson. (Allsport)

With two seconds remaining in the game, Richey attempted a game-winning, 62-yard field goal that was five yards short. No matter. His teammates were so appreciative of his effort that they raced out onto the field and swarmed Richey.

"I haven't seen many teams go out and congratulate a guy after missing a field goal, but I saw it tonight," coach Steve Mariucci said. "That's a first."

There was speculation that the Niners would bring in a veteran kicker to replace Richey, but special teams coach George Steward said Richey's job is safe for now. If he can show he can handle the pressure of kicking in the swirling winds of 3Com Park, he could prove to be a godsend for a 49ers team longing to settle their kicking problems.

"Wade has done a good job," Stewart said. "He's swimming, in terms of meeting new teammates. One thing I talked to him about was making an impression on his teammates. I think he did a good job of making an impression.

"It's important for him to have another start, to have another good outing. He's not that far away from being an excellent kicker."

Richey will make his regular-season debut Sunday, when the Jets roll into 3Com Park in the season opener. While it's important for Richey to show he can handle the pressure of kicking in a real game, Stewart said the team will remain "patient" in the event he struggles.

"We know that he's a rookie. As oppose to a guy who's been in the league three or four years, you know you got concerns," Stewart said. "I think we'll be patient with him, because we know he is young. There are some jitters.

"Once he gets comfortable and knows he is a legitimate NFL kicker, he'll be fine."

For his part, Richey is still trying to let all the whirlwind changes that have taken place in the past week sink in. "The support that I got was outstanding," he said. "I'm just thrilled about the opportunity. Somebody in my position, it's all about opportunity.

"I never dreamed I'd play for the San Francisco 49ers, much less in the NFL."

The Niners reached an injury settlement with Tommy Thompson prior to releasing him on Sunday, and have been scanning the waiver wire for a punter since. Thompson injured his hamstring last week in practice, but his performance dating back to last season had been less than stellar.

Niners' executive Dwight Clark said the team could sign Reggie Roby, a 15-year veteran, Brad Costello or Ed Howard as early as Tuesday.

Niners' make Detmer No. 2

The ballots in the race for the Niners' No. 2 quarterback job are in, and the winner is … Ty Detmer.

Mariucci ended the suspense regarding who would be Steve Young's backup during his weekly press conference when he announced that Detmer had beaten out Jim Druckenmiller, San Francisco's No. 1 pick of the '97 draft.

Druckenmiller entered training camp as the second-string quarterback, but the six-year veteran Detmer -- picked up during the off-season after the Eagles declined to re-sign the free agent -- gives Mariucci veteran experience the team lacked last season, when Druckenmiller and Jeff Brohm were both No. 2 and No.3, respectively.

"We have discussed this as a staff for awhile. We will have Ty at No. 2 and we will have Jim at No. 3," Mariucci said. " First of all, I qualified all my statements with Ty and Druckenmiller, saying we are very, very pleased and much more comfortable than we were last year. Steve is healthy and on top of his game.

"Druckenmiller is tremendously improved over last year. Whether that showed in the preseason or not, that's beside the point. He is better prepared and more comfortable with this scheme than he was a year ago. Ty brings a great deal of experience to us over what we had last year. Basically, we had two inexperienced rookies in backup positions last year."

Owens yields to Rice

The 49ers won't have to agonize about how they will handle the wide receiver rotation in Sunday's opener. First, Mariucci said the team will announce J.J. Stokes, Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice as starters, meaning 12 players -- and not 11 -- will be introduced to the crowd prior to the start of the game.

As for who will take a temporary seat when the game starts, Owens made Mariucci's decision easy when he told the coach he wanted to give up his starting position to Rice, who would have started anyway.

The point here is Owens, who is growing into one the game's most dangerous receivers, will get plenty of playing time regardless of who starts and Mariucci shouldn't have to fret about how he or Stokes would react to being moved out of the starting lineup.

"Just because you don't start doesn't mean you can't contribute," Owens said. "I can still be productive coming off the bench. I know all the positions and I'll be a big part of the offense. It was no big deal."

Mariucci said he was taken aback by Owens' gesture, which he called "first-class."