The Cowboys spent the offseason trying to shore up a defense that still has one glaring problem: stopping the run. Dallas finished 2025 with the 10th-worst run defense in the NFL, which was better than the year before, when it ranked fourth-worst, but still nowhere near where it needs to be in 2026.
One name that has flown a little under the radar in that effort is veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard. He was one of several defensive additions Dallas made this offseason, but Cowboys analyst Skywalker Steele believes Bullard could end up mattering more than most people realize once the games start.
Steele’s case for Bullard is pretty straightforward: he understands how to play the run, and he’s already familiar with the kind of system Dallas is bringing in under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“(Bullard) played in that Brandon Staley defense last year, which is also a Vic Fanio disciple, same for Christian Parker,” Steele noted. “And it looked like (the New Orleans Saints Saints) were playing that similar gap-and-a-half type of scheme upfront.”
That fit matters because Bullard isn’t being asked to be a flashy playmaker. He’s there to do the dirty work, and Steele thinks that’s exactly where he can help.
“Another strong veteran presense who seems to have the know-how,” Steele added on Bullard. “I say this a lot about veterans, or anybody in general: do you know how to play the run? Because a lot of guys don't.”
“I feel like he knows how to play that gap-and-a-half scheme. He knows how to get down the line.
He's strong enough, I think, to take on enough snaps in the run game. And I know he's 32, but he's got that grown man 'I got a mortgage and kids' strength.”
The downside is obvious: Bullard has never been much of a pass-rush threat. Over 10 NFL seasons, he has eight sacks and 69 pressuers, according to Pro Football Focus. But that’s not why Dallas brought him in.
Bullard was signed in March with a very specific job in mind, and he said as much when talking about the system the Cowboys are building.
“I think the defense they're trying to bring in is what I've done for the last 10 years,” Bullard explained. “To come in and be a big end, and be present on run downs, to make it tougher for teams to run the ball - for us to get the run defense going. To have the opportunity to come here, it just fit.”
The pass-rush limitations won’t matter much if Bullard is used the way Dallas intends. He won’t be on the field every snap, and the Cowboys already have Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark as interior rushers. What Bullard can offer is something the defense badly needs: a veteran body who knows how to hold up against the run.
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