Javon

Bullard

As expected, Watson is unable to play due to his knee injury after missing all of the week’s practices. He’ll be out, but the Packers do get star rookie Javon Bullard back after he missed two games with an ankle injury.

Bullard left Week 14’s game against the Lions on crutches. The rookie second-rounder has started in 10 of the 13 games he’s appeared in for the Packers this season, totaling 74 tackles, one TFL, and one pass breakup. Even if he avoided the worse, it seems unlikely that Bullard would have enough time to recover before Week 15’s game against the Seahawks. We’ll see what the MRI reveals in the coming days, which should provide more clarity about his impending absence.

A 2021 enrollee, Bullard (5’10/198) took over a starting slot role in 2022, where he logged 510 of his 624 snaps and recorded 46 tackles, 7.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks while earning an 80th percentile PFF defensive grade. Bullard saved his best for the CFP National Title game with a two interception performance that earned him the game’s Defensive MVP Award. Bullard built on his MVP showing by having the best season of his career, holding opponents to a 34.0 NFL passer rating while shifting to the back line and playing 362 of his 596 snaps at free safety. His 88.9 PFF cover grade ranked fifth nationally, as Bullard allowed a microscopic .27 yards per coverage snap with a 32% forced incompletion rate. On the tackling front, Bullard sports a very respectable 9.2% missed tackle rate while grading in the 78th percentile. He’s on the short side, but his Combine weight of 198 pounds and dense frame help him bring the pain over the middle when called upon. While his lack of length and poor 33” vertical (34th%) suppresses his overall athletic profile, there’s nothing wrong with an 8.25 Relative Athletic Score. Bullard has the smarts to diagnose route concepts and not get baited, while also having the heft to make his presence felt across the middle. His stubby proportions present challenges with his sideline-to-sideline and deep range, but he’s a plus defender with the action coming at him. Bullard is a self-made, undersized grinder who is best suited in a scheme that can utilize his slot and free safety versatility.