Dan Campbell always pays attention to Detroit's division foes, "especially this time of year." And when he looks around the NFC North, he sees a problem in the making.
He also sees one less problem for the Lions, with Justin Fields having been traded from the Bears to the Steelers. Fields had three underwhelming seasons in Chicago after being drafted 11th overall, but often overwhelmed the Lions with his legs. The quarterback ran for 441 yards and 8.3 yards per carry in four games the last two seasons against Detroit.
Campbell said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings that he "told everybody last year, the Bears are going to be an issue. They're a good team." Chicago started 3-8 but put a scare into the Lions the week before Thanksgiving, then won four of their final six games. Their defense was boosted by a midseason trade for defensive end Montez Sweat, they just added receiver Keenan Allen to their offense, and they hold the first and ninth overall picks in next month's draft where they will select their next quarterback.
Campbell's just happy their old one is gone.
"I think (Matt) Eberflus does a great job over there, he's a defensive-minded coach. That defense is stiff, they’re stout, they play hard. And offensively, man, they’ve got weapons, they've got an offensive line. And we’ll see what they do at quarterback, but I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to have Fields out of that division," Campbell said. "But yeah, got a lot of respect for what they’re doing over there. They've got a number of picks, they’re going be loaded and ready to go."
The Bears smothered the Lions in Week 14 in Chicago, two weeks after the Packers had taken care of the Lions on Thanksgiving. The Packers surged down the stretch thanks to a stout defense of their own and the emergence of quarterback Jordan Love, who threw 18 touchdowns to one pick over his final eight games, and nearly beat the 49ers in the playoffs before the 49ers beat the Lions.
Detroit still controlled the NFC North from the start of the season to the end, but it won't be so easy this year. The Vikings are the only clear underdog after taking a step back last season and letting quarterback Kirk Cousins walk in free agency.
"Look, I see what Green Bay's doing, so I think this division is about to get significantly better than what it’s been, and I would argue it was better than people realized," said Campbell. "Really, they were one play away from Green Bay and us playing in the NFC championship game, so I think this division is about to become very difficult. And that’s good, man, that’s how you want it."