Paul Bretl | 10/4/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Xavier McKinney is playing elite football with four interceptions in four games. Many fans want to see more of Evan Williams on the football field after he displayed a ball-hawking presence over the summer.
However, when it comes to Javon Bullard, while we haven’t heard his name as much, he has provided a steady presence next to McKinney, which is paying dividends for the defense in a number of ways.
“I think he’s done a really good job when we’ve asked him to do multiple things,” said Jeff Hafley on Thursday. “I think he had a really good second half last week. He had a couple pressures. He had a couple TFLs were big time plays. I think he’s having a really good first four games and I think steadily see him do more and more.”
As Hafley said, those pressures and tackles for loss are high-impact plays for a defender. It’s those types of plays that chance the entire complexion of a drive for an offense–and not for the better.
But going beyond the tackles and the coverage stats, Bullard has helped bring a fast and aggressive play-style to the back-end of the Packers’ secondary. You see those qualities on display when he’s chasing down the ball carrier from behind for a tackle for loss like he did against Minnesota. Or in the physicality he brings when matched up with Philadelphia’s AJ Brown in Week 1.
For Bullard, this play-style isn’t anything new. Flip on his tape at Georgia and you’ll see it on display weekly. It’s one of the many qualities that drew the Packers to him during the pre-draft process.
“That’s a play style thing,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard about Bullard. “That’s what we expect of the safeties. That’s what we strain to get out of them. But, obviously, some guys are built different than others. He’s a tough person and he’s obviously a tough player, but those are tone-setting plays that lets the receiver know what type of day it’s going to be.”
Bullard has accumulated 19 total tackles in these four games and has been targeted only eight times. For some context, he’s on pace to be targeted 34 times this season, which in 2023, would have ranked 34th out of 56 eligible safeties–or in short, quarterbacks aren’t throwing his direction all that often.
Bullard’s full impact on this defense isn’t always going to show up on the stat sheet either. He has showcased his versatility this season, lining up deep, in the box, and in the slot. This interchangeable element adds a layer of unpredictability to Green Bay’s defense, with the offense not necessarily being able to get a great beat on where the safeties will be lined up or what responsibilities they will have.
However, the bulk of his playing time has come as the free safety, according to PFF, patrolling the post to take away any downfield opportunities from the offense. We all know that McKinney can fill whatever role the Packers need him to, but giving Hafley the ability to truly maximize McKinney’s diverse skill-set is having a player like Bullard next to him, who is playing well and the coaching staff trusts.
If there were legitimate concerns about Bullard’s play, McKinney might not have the same level of freedom to move around as much as he currently does. Instead, McKinney would more often be tasked with being the safety net over the top of the defense.
“The more that other guys can do, then the more we can move 29 around and vice-versa, as well,” said Downard. “So, it’s really just been a process of learning what these guys are good at, putting them in positions to take advantage of it and rolling that way.”
If there’s an area where there is an opportunity to get more from Bullard, it’s in the ball production category. Through four games, Bullard has only one pass breakup. However, Hafley is taking the blame for that, saying that he has to do a better job of putting Bullard in a position where he can have those opportunities to make plays on the ball, along with impacting the game with his tackling ability.
“We gotta get him around the ball more. You want to talk about what I can do better–I can put him closer to the football in certain ways because he’s really good when he’s close to the football and we need to get him more involved.”
Bullard has put the word safe in safety—an under-the-radar but very valuable quality to have at the position. He’s been reliable in whatever role he’s been asked to fill and hasn’t had the big mistakes. As described already, Bullard brings playmaking abilities to the table as well, and perhaps we will see more of that in the coming weeks. But while McKinney continues to make plays, Bullard has provided a steady presence next to him.
The arrow is certainly pointed upward with Bullard, but as Downard continues to stress with him and the entire safety group, as good as things have been, there is still room for more.
“For me, it’s, ‘I need you to take these reps and practices as seriously as you would on Sundays,” Downard said. “Because although there’s not 70,000 around you right now on a Wednesday afternoon or Thursday afternoon, you have to approach it like that because you’re going to be out in front of the world and then it’s going to become important to you.’ So, you’ve got to make it important during the week.
“So that’s been my deal with the rookies. And then you want to keep it simple for them. You want to keep it clean for them, and they have done a good job in that aspect, but they have done overall, they’ve done well. They just have to keep progressing. We’ve just got to stay on it.”