‘Work in progress’ Brian Hoyer finally looks steady for Bears

CLEVELAND — Brian Hoyer might not have it all figured out, but the backup quarterback finally looked like the steadying force to whom the Bears gave $2 million this offseason.

He completed 12-of-16 passes for 112 yards Thursday night against the Browns for a passer rating of 93.8. In the three preseason games before that, he was 19-for-41 for 237 yards and a passer rating of 44.4.

“It’s always a work in progress,” Hoyer said. “The moment you feel like you’ve arrived or you have it all figured out, something else is going to happen.

“The one thing about football is you’re never going to go against the same defense. Each play, the outcomes of each play you run or the defense they run, there’s always so much that’s going on. You’ve always got to evolve and get better.”

Coach John Fox wasn’t surprised after reminding anyone who would listen this preseason that Hoyer was still adjusting in his first year in the offense.

“ I think all those repetitions for quarterbacks are really critical,” Fox said. “Whether it’s David Fales or Brian Hoyer. They’re hard to get in this league.”

The Bears hope they’ll be hard to get once the games start counting.

“For me, it’s getting in a rhythm with those guys, being in a huddle with them, getting a feel for them and them having a feel,” Hoyer said. “From here on out, I’ll just be ready at a moment’s notice. That’s the role of the backup quarterback.”