This development shouldn't come as a surprise; coach Marc Trestman said as much following the team's 45-28 victory over the Cowboys Monday night.
"There's no change in the plan," he said. "When Jay is ready to play, he'll be playing."
And now that Jay's ready, he'll be playing.
Whether you think it's the right move or not, Trestman handled this perfectly. He's made his intentions clear, his players have echoed those sentiments, and there is no confusion inside Halas Hall, even if outsiders disagree.
Still, Cutler is in the final year of his contract and the Bears will have to decide this offseason whether to re-up him at a steep price, or to go in a different direction. If it's the latter -- and there was a report Wednesday that that could be the case -- the team could turn to McCown in the short term while they find and groom their next young franchise quarterback.
