Longtime 49ers coach comes to Green Bay

Mike Spofford

GREEN BAY Daniel Bullocks has joined new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's coaching staff. He will be Green Bay's cornerbacks coach, replacing Ryan Downard, who moved on to Miami to continue working with former Packers DC and new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley.

Here are five things to know about Bullocks.

Bullocks joined Kyle Shanahan's staff with the 49ers when Shanahan became the head coach in 2017. He served as assistant defensive backs coach before being promoted to safeties coach in 2019, and he had the title of defensive passing game specialist added in 2025.

During his 49ers tenure with the DBs, cornerback Richard Sherman (2019), safety Talanoa Hufanga (2022) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (2023) earned Pro Bowl selections.

Bullocks began his coaching career at Northern Iowa in 2012, working with defensive backs for three seasons. He moved on to coach cornerbacks at Eastern Michigan in 2015 and then broke into the NFL in 2016 as an assistant defensive backs coach with Jacksonville.

The Lions drafted Bullocks in the second round with the No. 40 overall pick in 2006. His four years in Detroit were riddled with injury, though.

As a rookie in 2006, Bullocks played in 15 games with seven starts, recording 75 total tackles. But during the 2007 preseason, he tore an ACL in his knee and missed the entire year. He came back in 2008 to play in 16 games with 15 starts, racking up 94 tackles, but another knee injury in the summer of 2009 landed him on injured reserve again and effectively ended his playing career.

Daniel and Josh Bullocks starred together at Hixson High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., with Daniel playing quarterback and Josh running back. They led Hixson to four straight playoff appearances.

The two then played college football together at Nebraska, both as defensive backs. Josh earned All-America and first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2003 and became a second-round draft pick by the Saints in 2005 coincidentally chosen at the exact same spot, No. 40 overall, where Daniel would be drafted the following year.

The two played in the same NFL game once, a Lions-Saints matchup on Dec. 21, 2008, with both starting at safety for their respective teams. New Orleans won, 42-7, and the twin brothers combined for 18 tackles.

Track athletes as well as football stars, the Bullocks supported Hixson High with scholarship awards and other donations upon entering the NFL, and in 2007 the school's Bullocks Strength Complex was opened for the benefit of all athletes.