Packers safety owning nickel cornerback spot in Year 2

Wes Hodkiewicz

GREEN BAY James and Shonda Bullard did not raise soft children. Growing up in their household required maximum effort, toughness and resiliency.

Their son,Javon Bullard, took those lessons to heart and carried them with him from the football field at Baldwin (Ga.) High School all the way to the Packers' secondary.

While an ankle injury suffered in Detroit on Thanksgiving had Bullard listed as questionable for last Sunday's game against Chicago, you were going to have to practically cut that thing off to keep him out of pivotal NFC North showdown with the Bears.

After all, this is the same Packers defensive back who played through afractured heel during his final three gamesof his rookie season that eventually required offseason surgery.

"If you can play, you can play from where I come from," said Bullard on Wednesday. "Everybody hurting. If you can go, you can go, man. It's really a mindset. Can't (stuff) stop you unless you stop yourself. We got some things we playing for."

It's been virtually impossible to keep Bullard off the field during what's been a breakthrough 2025 campaign for the 23-year-old defensive back.

Focused solely on the slot this season, Bullard has been a silent but violent enforcer on Green Bay's defense. He's made 62 tackles (39 solo) with two passes defensed and a fumble recovery in 13 games with five starts.

Feeling healthy enough to play 26 snaps against the Bears, Bullard bit down on his mouthpiece and recorded four tackles with a quarterback hit to aid a 28-21 victory that catapulted the Packers into first in the NFC North.

The 5-foot-10, 198-pound defensive back made two tackles in the second quarter that resulted in Chicago running backs Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift gaining minimal yards before falling off coverage and impactfully meeting Monangai at the line of scrimmage midway through the third quarter.

Speaking with reporters last Thursday, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley praised Bullard's effort this season while labeling the second-year safety as "one of our most valuable players" because of everything he can do on defense.

"I think the world of the guy. He's hard to take off the field," Hafley said. "Somebody was asking the other day why do you put him here, why do you put him there? Because he's a guy that really deserves never to come off the field, so we've got to continue to find ways to use him."

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The Packers drafted Bullard in the second round (58th overall) out of Georgia last year partly because of his experience playing both safety and nickel cornerback in the SEC.

He ended up playing more in the box as a rookie due to injuries and the emergence of fourth-round pickEvan Williams, who made the PFWA All-Rookie team last year at free safety.

As selfless as he is versatile, Bullard stuck it out in the slot on his way to registering 90 tackles and he's continued to make that position his own in Year 2.

In addition to the physicality Bullard brings to the secondary, it's becoming increasingly difficult for opposing quarterbacks to complete passes against his coverage this year. He chalks it up to repping in the slot practice after practice, week after week.

"I see myself now as a nickel," said Bullard of focusing on nickel cornerback this year. "I just kind of lock in on that position, lock in on who I'm going against, lock in on what they got going on, opposing offenses; really just checking off my box and doing my job. If I can grade out on all my (stuff) A-pluses, then I felt like the defense is gonna be better as a whole."

It's certainly playing out that way for a fifth-ranked Packers defense that ranks inside the top 10 in most defensive categories while allowing the sixth-fewest points (19.0 per game).

Green Bay's do-it-all safety room has been a catalyst for that and having a hard-nosed bulldog like Bullard in the slot has only helped set the tone on defense.

"He's done a great job, (and) he plays the style of play that we're looking for," LaFleur said. "You have to look no further than what he does, and just playing physical, playing fast, just doing his job."

Bullard remains humble when discussing his play this season and the impact he's having on defense but feels strongly about the Packers' defensive backs, lauding his unit as one of "if not the best damn secondary in the league."

A big reason for that is the personnel Green Bay has rotated throughout the year and the DBs' ability to properly execute the disguises Hafley calls for in his scheme.

It takes a level of toughness to stay out there, too. Fortunately, Bullard's upbringing helped prepare him for it. The goal now is to get healthy Bullard was again limited on Wednesday and keep building on the team's recent four-game winning steak.

"Ain't nobody gonna give you (stuff) in life, you gotta go take what's yours," Bullard said. "If you love this game like you say you do, it's gonna show up in your actions. I love my teammates. Anytime I can put my best foot forward, I'm gonna do that."