Javon Bullard keeps showing why the Packers keep leaning on him in the middle of Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
He brings the kind of edge Gannon clearly values: a safety who hits, chases, and makes life miserable for offenses whether the ball is in the air or coming downhill. Against the New York Jets, Bullard was all over the place, even if one of his best moments got wiped out by a taunting penalty that erased a third-down stop. The flag hurt Green Bay, but the play itself still told the story - Bullard had already made a clean pass breakup before sabotaging the result.
That was just one snapshot in a busy afternoon. Bullard knocked away passes, finished plays on receivers for short gains, and shot into the backfield to drop ball carriers behind the line. For an aggressive playcaller like Gannon, that kind of versatility is exactly the point.
The third-year safety finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups, and he was one of the reasons the Packers’ defense kept humming while the offense stalled. The unit never folded. It just kept producing stops.
The Jets found very little room to breathe. Outside of a 43-yard quick hitter to running back Breece Hall, their longest gain of the day was 17 yards. New York ran 72 plays and averaged four yards a snap, with Bullard playing a central part in keeping things compressed.
What makes him so useful is the way he lets Gannon move pieces around. Bullard can work in the box, handle the slot, or turn and run with a vertical route.
That flexibility gives safeties Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney more freedom to stay deep and read the quarterback. It also opens the door for linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to be sent after the passer, knowing Bullard can help clean up if something slips through.
At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Bullard is not the biggest defensive back on the field, but he plays bigger than that frame suggests. His toughness fits one of Gannon’s core principles, and it shows when he’s matching up with running backs and tight ends in space without getting moved around. The Jets saw that firsthand, and so did anyone watching him in coverage down the field.
Receivers have not gotten much after the catch when Bullard is around. Through this season, he has allowed an average of 5.8 yards on six receptions while holding quarterbacks to a 66.7 passer rating, per PFF. He also ranked third among safeties with six stops after Sunday’s games.
Gannon’s defense is built on players who can do a little bit of everything, and Bullard fits that mold. Like Edgerrin Cooper in the linebacker room, he’s one of the Packers’ most useful all-purpose pieces. If Cooper is the knight in Gannon’s chessboard, Bullard is the rook.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
The pass rush has been one of Green Bays most watched areas early this season, and rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton has started to give the defense a timely boost. Against the Jets, he put together a disruptive afternoon with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, the kind of activity that shows up on the stat sheet and in the pressure Washington? No, in the pressure he helped create on the opposing quarterback.
For a player taken 120th in the draft, that kind of early production is notable, especially when hes already ranking 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after two games. The Packers are always looking for help up front, and Dennis-Sutton has at least opened the door to a bigger role by outplaying several rookies selected ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Secondary Just Lost Its Biggest Safety Net Before Packers Game
The Falcons defense took a significant hit this week when cornerback A.J. Terrell was placed on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in a recent game. His absence comes with a real timing issue for Atlanta, too, because he now has to sit out at least four games, putting Week 7 as the earliest possible return. For a secondary that leans on him as its top coverage option, the loss changes the look of the group heading into a matchup that already had plenty of attention.
Atlanta filled the open roster spot by promoting defensive lineman Zach Harrison from the practice squad, but that move does not replace what Terrell gives the back end. For the Packers, it is the kind of development that can alter how a defense chooses to play on the perimeter and in the middle of the field, especially against an opponent that no longer has its biggest safety net available. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury has turned a promising early-season stretch into a far more uneasy stretch for the Packers, with the receiver leaving Sundays game against the Jets on a stretcher after a neck injury. Matt LaFleur said Reed is back in Green Bay and going through tests, but the team still does not have a recovery timeline, which leaves Green Bay trying to steady its offense without one of its most dynamic targets.
The immediate concern is Week 3 against the Falcons, where Reed is expected to miss the game and the Packers may have to adjust on the fly. Beyond that, the bigger issue is how long Green Bay could be without him, because this is the kind of injury that can ripple through a passing game well past one Sunday. [Read more 🡒]