Bears' Brian Hoyer: Placed on injured reserve

Hoyer (forearm) was moved to the Bears' injured reserve list Monday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

Analysis:

Hoyer is expected to be out for at least eight weeks, and with the Bears already on the outside-looking-in as far as the playoff picture goes, it likely made the most sense to simply shut the quarterback down for the remainder of the season in order to free up a roster spot. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler (thumb) was cleared to return Monday and will take over starting duties while Matt Barkley reverts to backup status.