Jonathan Bullard (born October 22, 1993) is an American professional football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft, and has also played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

Jonathan Bullard
refer to caption
Bullard in 2021
No. 90 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1993-10-22) October 22, 1993 (age 31)
Shelby, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school:Crest (Shelby, North Carolina)
College:Florida (2012–2015)
NFL draft:2016 / round: 3 / pick: 72
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2024
Total tackles:191
Sacks:5.5
Forced fumbles:2
Pass deflections:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Bullard attended Crest Senior High School in Shelby, North Carolina. As a senior, he had 82 tackles and 16 sacks. Bullard was a five-star recruit and was ranked as the best defensive end in his class.[1] He committed to the University of Florida to play college football.[2][3]

College career

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Bullard played in all 13 games and made two starts as a true freshman at Florida in 2012. He had 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, he played in 11 games with eight starts and recorded 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He started all 12 games and had 52 tackles with 2.5 sacks his junior year in 2014.[4][5] Bullard returned to Florida his senior season rather than enter the 2015 NFL draft.[6][7][8]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)
285 lb
(129 kg)
33+58 in
(0.85 m)
10 in
(0.25 m)
4.93 s 1.66 s 2.82 s 4.56 s 7.31 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)
9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine[9][10]

Chicago Bears

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Bullard was drafted in the third round (72nd overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2016 NFL draft.[11] He signed his rookie contract on June 6, 2016.[12] He made his NFL debut on September 11 against the Houston Texans.[13] On October 9, Bullard recorded his first sack of his career, taking down Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck.[14] He finished his rookie season with one start in fourteen games, recording eighteen tackles and a sack.

Bullard recorded his first career pass break-up on September 28, 2017, as well as a tackle against the Green Bay Packers. On October 29, he logged his first forced fumble against the New Orleans Saints, stripping running back Mark Ingram II[15] In a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Bullard got his first and only sack of the 2017 season, bringing down quarterback Carson Wentz on November 26.[16] He finished his second season with three starts, recording 26 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups. Bullard was waived during the final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[17]

Arizona Cardinals

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On September 1, 2019, Bullard was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[18] He was placed on injured reserve on December 6, 2019, with a hamstring injury.[19] He finished the season with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks through nine games and six starts.

On April 3, 2020, Bullard re-signed with the Cardinals.[20] On September 5, Bullard was released during final roster cuts.[21] He was re-signed to the practice squad a day later.[22]

Seattle Seahawks

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On October 7, 2020, Bullard was signed to the active roster of the Seattle Seahawks off the Cardinals' practice squad.[23] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Seahawks on January 9, 2021,[24] and activated on January 21.[25]

Atlanta Falcons

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On April 1, 2021, Bullard signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.[26]

Minnesota Vikings

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On June 2, 2022, Bullard signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[27] He was placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2022.[28] He was activated on January 7, 2023.

Bullard re-signed with the Vikings on March 21, 2023.[29] He played in all 17 games with 14 starts, recording a career-high 44 tackles and two sacks.

On March 13, 2024, Bullard re-signed with the Vikings.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Rivals.com
  2. ^ Hays, Chris (January 7, 2012). "U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Jonathan Bullard commits to Florida Gators". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Abolverdi, Zach (January 7, 2012). "Florida lands five-star defensive end Bullard". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Bullard seeks breakout season as a senior for Gators". FOX Sports. July 28, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Low, Chris (April 29, 2015). "Jonathan Bullard embraces lead Gator role". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  6. ^ Hack, Graham (September 30, 2015). "With Jonathan Bullard back, Gators defensive line showing some bite". The Florida Times. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  7. ^ McPherson, Jordan (October 8, 2015). "UF lineman Jon Bullard reaps rewards of returning to help boost Gators' defense". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  8. ^ Abolverdi, Zach (July 23, 2015). "Bullard vying to be picked high in 2016 NFL Draft". The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "Jonathan Bullard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  10. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Scout Jonathan Bullard College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Mayer, Larry (April 29, 2016). "Bears draft Bullard in third round". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Mayer, Larry (June 6, 2016). "Bears ink Bullard to four-year deal". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  13. ^ "Gators in the NFL - Week 1". Florida Gators. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Mullin, John (October 12, 2016). "First career sack was a chore for Bears rookie Jonathan Bullard". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  15. ^ Biggs, Brad (October 29, 2017). "'Salty' defense will make Bears interesting the rest of the season". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  16. ^ Mayer, Larry (November 26, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears blown out by Eagles". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  17. ^ Alper, Josh (August 31, 2019). "Bears cut 2016 third-rounder Jonathan Bullard". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  18. ^ Odegard, Kyle (September 1, 2019). "Cardinals Claim Defensive Lineman Jonathan Bullard, Four Others". AZCardinals.com.
  19. ^ "Cardinals claim TE Dan Arnold off waivers, place Jonathan Bullard on IR". Cards Wire. USA Today. December 5, 2019.
  20. ^ Urban, Darren (March 23, 2020). "Jonathan Bullard, Chris Banjo Return To Cardinals". AZCardinals.com.
  21. ^ Urban, Darren (September 5, 2020). "Cardinals Make Final Cuts To Get To Initial 53-Man Roster". azcardinals.com.
  22. ^ Urban, Darren (September 6, 2020). "Cardinals Build Practice Squad, Including Weaver, Foster". azcardinals.com.
  23. ^ Smith, Lauren (October 8, 2020). "Newcomer Jonathan Bullard looking to make quick impression on Seahawks defense". The News Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  24. ^ Boyle, John (January 9, 2021). "Seahawks Place DE Jonathan Bullard On Reserve/COVID-19 List; Elevate Cedrick Lattimore From Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "Seahawks' Jonathan Bullard: Returns from COVID list". CBSSports.com. January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Moran, Gaby (April 1, 2021). "Falcons Re-Sign DE Steven Means, Sign OL Josh Andrews and DT Jonathan Bullard". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "Vikings Add Jonathan Bullard to Roster". vikings.com. June 2, 2022.
  28. ^ "Vikings Activate Cameron Dantzler, Sr., & Place Jonathan Bullard on Injured Reserve". Vikings.com. December 10, 2022.
  29. ^ Peters, Craig (March 21, 2023). "Jonathan Bullard & Vikings Agree to Terms". Vikings.com.
  30. ^ Young, Lindsey (March 13, 2024). "Vikings Agree to Terms with Defensive Lineman Jonathan Bullard". Vikings.com.
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