SANTA CLARA – Don't go awarding Scott Tolzien a roster spot just yet.

Coach Jim Harbaugh on Tuesday said that Josh Johnson, not Tolzien, will be the third quarterback to enter Saturday's exhibition game against the Houston Texans.

Tolzien was the No. 3 quarterback in the preseason opener against Minnesota and played well in completing 10 of 13 attempts for 84 yards.

Harbaugh has said all along that the situation behind starter Alex Smith is fluid and that a combination of practices and exhibition games would determine the final order. He did say, however, that Colin Kaepernick has begun to "emerge" as the No. 2 quarterback, a role he had against the Vikings and one he'll retain Saturday in Houston.

"It's been very good," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick's play. "Nothing's set in stone in that regard, but there's been some emergence."

Kaepernick played the second quarter against the Vikings and completed 5 of 9 passes for 40 yards. He also was the game's leading rusher – three attempts for 92 yards – largely because of a 78-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter.

The 49ers are unlikely to keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but Harbaugh wouldn't rule that out as a possibility.

"We'll do what's best for our football team, what we feel like helps us be a better team and win games," he said. "This is one of those things that was foreseen – that we have four very good quarterbacks. These are four quarterbacks who'll play a very long time in this league. We knew it would be very competitive."

Soltau honored – Gordy Soltau will be the 23rd player inducted to the 49ers Hall of Fame. The ceremony is Oct. 13, one day before the team hosts the New York Giants.

While Harbaugh's team is unique in that some players line up at multiple positions, it was the norm for Soltau and his teammates. He spent his nine-year career in San Francisco as a kicker and a pass-catching tight end.

Soltau, who led the league in scoring in 1952 and 1953, led the 49ers in scoring in eight of his nine seasons. That was no easy feat, he recalled Tuesday, on a team coached then by Buck Shaw.

"Buck didn't believe in field goals. He believed in touchdowns," Soltau said. "No matter where we were on fourth down, even if we were in field-goal range, he was going for a first down on fourth down."

Et cetera – Defensive starters Ahmad Brooks, Isaac Sopoaga and Aldon Smith missed practice. So did tight ends Delanie Walker and Nate Byham, outside linebackers Cam Johnson and Darius Fleming and cornerback Tramaine Brock.

• Former 49er Julian Peterson paid a visit to team headquarters.

Peterson, the team's top draft pick in 2000, is a free agent who plays a spot, outside linebacker, at which the 49ers are currently short. However, he was merely making a social call Tuesday.

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