A Quick Look at New Viking Jonathan Bullard
On Thursday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings signed DE Jonathan Bullard as a replacement player for Kenny Willekes; a 2020 seventh round pick who was waived on injury designation around the same time. Willekes missed the entire 2020 season with a knee injury and appeared in just six games during 2021, recording 2.5 sacks. Assuming he clears waivers, the third-year defensive linemen will likely head to the injured reserve list.
Let’s take a look at what Bullard brings to the Vikings, though. The veteran provides a much more pressing need for the Vikings defense with his ability as a 5T defender. He has the versatility to slide to the inside at nose tackle, or he can play on the outside of Ed Donatell’s 3-4 defense.
After being selected in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Chicago Bears, Bullard has since bounced around the league. He played 46 of his 70 games in the Windy City, but since then he has been rostered by the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Atlanta Falcons. He spent 2021 in Atlanta and appeared in nine games. To this point in his career, the six-year veteran has recorded 13 TFLs and 3.5 sacks.
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Bullard is not someone who should be starting games on a competitive roster (he’s started 15 of his 70 career NFL games). However, this versatility is vital to the Vikings depth on the defensive side of the ball.
This offseason has proven that the Vikings want a defense that is “positionless” in nature. The secondary is filled with players that can play outside, nickel, or even safety. The 3-4 switch also means Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter will bede facto linebackers in the scheme. On top of all that, there’s also the anchor in the middle, Eric Kendricks, who can do a little bit of everything at the middle linebacker spot. Bullard is just the latest of these moves that proves this is the goal.
