The Green Bay Packers are continuing to reshape their defensive coaching staff, and the latest addition brings a wealth of experience from one of the NFL’s most consistent defenses. Daniel Bullocks, who spent the last nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, is reportedly set to join Matt LaFleur’s staff in Green Bay under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Bullocks isn’t just another name on the coaching carousel - he’s someone who’s been in the trenches with a Niners defense that’s been among the league’s best in recent years. Hired by Kyle Shanahan in 2017, Bullocks held multiple roles in San Francisco, most recently serving as the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator over the last three seasons. That’s a significant stretch of time overseeing a secondary that played a key role in the 49ers’ deep playoff runs.
In Green Bay, Bullocks arrives at a moment of transition. The Packers recently lost Derrick Ansley, who had been their defensive passing game coordinator, to the Dallas Cowboys.
They’ve already lined up Bobby Babich - the former Bills defensive coordinator - to fill that role. So where does Bullocks fit into the puzzle?
There’s a strong possibility the Packers will split responsibilities in the secondary, with Bullocks focusing on the safeties and Babich handling the cornerbacks. That division of labor would make sense given Bullocks’ background.
From 2019 to 2022, he was the 49ers’ safeties coach, and before that, he played the position himself in the NFL. He knows the nuances of the position from both the player and coach perspective, and that kind of insight can be invaluable in a league that increasingly demands versatility and communication from its safeties.
Bullocks’ coaching résumé has been on the rise for a while. In 2024, he interviewed for the 49ers’ defensive coordinator job - a testament to how highly regarded he was within the organization. That job eventually went to Nick Sorensen, who lasted just one season before being replaced by Robert Saleh in 2025.
Before he was drawing up coverages and mentoring NFL defensive backs, Bullocks was on the field himself. A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2006, he started seven games as a rookie for the Detroit Lions.
Injuries derailed parts of his career - he missed the 2007 season and was sidelined again in 2009 - but he did start full-time for the infamous 0-16 Lions team in 2008. His playing days ended shortly thereafter, but he transitioned into coaching in the early 2010s, first at the college level before landing his first NFL gig with the Jaguars in 2016.
A year later, he joined the 49ers and remained a steady presence on their staff through multiple coaching shifts and playoff runs.
Now, Bullocks brings that experience to Green Bay, where he’ll be part of a revamped defensive brain trust under Gannon. The Packers are clearly looking to retool their defense with proven minds who’ve been part of high-level operations. And with Bullocks’ track record - both as a player and as a coach - he fits that mold.