Dan Campbell has long been a huge fan of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, and he praised him heavily late last season.
The Detroit Lions’ head coach now feels relieved about Fields and his recent career choice.
Campbell spoke out this week over Fields’ move from the NFC North to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is set to back up veteran Russell Wilson. Campbell, who has faced the multi-talented quarterback numerous times over the last three seasons, expressed relief that Fields is no longer on their schedule.
Bears Move on From Fields
With the Bears holding the first overall choice in next month’s NFL draft and USC quarterback Caleb Williams available, many anticipated Fields to be traded this summer. The Bears’ poor return for Fields, however, surprised NFL.com’s Kevin Patra.
“The Bears traded Fields to Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick, a far cry from what most expected Chicago to recoup in trading its former first-round pick,” Patra said in a statement. “With few obvious landing spots open, however, the Bears had little choice unless they were willing to hang onto Fields into the draft and perhaps beyond.”
Fields was only 2-3 versus the Lions throughout his tenure in Chicago, but he frequently caused difficulties for Detroit’s defense, particularly on the ground. Fields has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of his last four games against the Lions, totaling 441 yards and three touchdowns.
Dan Campbell Called Fields ‘Dangerous’
As Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report pointed out, Campbell has long been a big fan of Fields. Campbell told reporters in December that the Bears quarterback is “dangerous” and a concern for Detroit’s defense.
“Listen, he’s dangerous,” Campbell warned journalists. “He’s one of these rare, dangerous players and I’ll tell you what he’s done a really good job of — from last year to this year — is if it’s a pass and he starts to move, he’s still moving with eyes down the field much more than I felt like he had previously and that’s extremely dangerous because even in Minnesota, he had two or three receivers wide open after he had kind of run, found a way through, broke contain and all of a sudden
Bears general manager Ryan Poles admitted that it was difficult for the team to move on from Fields, especially given his personal connection to the quarterback.
