While hardly a surprise, the clearest sign yet that backup Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer will start Sunday night against the Cowboys came Thursday in the form of a practice-squad move.
Jay Cutler (sprained thumb) is listed as day-to-day on the team's injury report, but the Bears on Thursday announced that they've elevated QB Matt Barkley from the practice squad to the active roster.
It appears Barkley will back up Hoyer, who says whether he starts or not doesn't affect how he prepares each week.
"I think I've said it before: Whether you're the starter, the backup or the third guys, you prepare every week like you're the starter," Hoyer said (via ESPN.com). "You may get a few more reps here or there, but that's the fact of being able to play at any time, being ready to play. Just prepare like you're going to play and take it one day at a time and come Sunday, we'll see what happens."
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As will a good chunk of America. The Bears (0-2) and Cowboys (1-1) meet in Sunday's prime-time game on NBC.
Last year with the Texans, Hoyer, 30, passed for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions in the regular season. But the last impression he left wasn't a good one: He threw four interceptions in a playoff loss to the Chiefs.
#Bears OC Dowell Loggains on backup QB Brian Hoyer's strengths: "Experience is No. 1. He's a very smart guy. He's accurate."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 22, 2016
Barkley, meanwhile, has appeared in only four NFL games, completing 30 of 50 passes for 300 yards with four interceptions with the Eagles, who drafted him in the fourth round out of USC in 2013 and sent him to the Cardinals in 2015. He joined the Bears' practice squad after Arizona waived him last month.
Cutler said after injuring the thumb on his throwing hand last week against the Eagles that he had a hard time gripping the ball. Although he avoided needing surgery on the thumb, he reportedly could miss 2-3 weeks.
