Jason Campbell will start in place of Jay Cutler on Monday night as the Chicago Bears announced they will rest their starting quarterback after he was knocked out of Sunday night’s loss to the Houston Texans with a concussion.

Bears coach Lovie Smith has been evasive about where Cutler is in his recovery, repeating daily that Cutler is getting “better.” Teammates are not concerned that Cutler will miss a long stretch of time but he will not play this week after his second concussion in three seasons.

That forces Campbell into the role a year after the Bears’ season crashed and burned when Cutler missed the final six games with a broken thumb. That is what prompted general manager Phil Emery to sign Campbell at the outset of free agency to a $3.5 million, one-year deal. Campbell has made 70 NFL starts and none since he was knocked out Oct. 14 of last season with a fractured collarbone.

“You definitely don’t want to see anyone get hurt or injured in this business, and you understand that because it is a tough sport, sometimes things like that happen,” Campbell said. “Last week’s game I think was good for me knowing that I have to play this week, to get those reps against a really good defense in Houston and get your feet wet and get back into it. Knowing now that I’m playing this week, looking back at it to have those reps in the second half was really huge.”

The Niners have the stingiest scoring defense in the NFL, allowing only 14.1 points per game.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune