The Green Bay Packers come into the 2025 NFL season with massive expectations. The offense is loaded, but the defense might end up being the biggest X-factor and might determine if they can get over the Super Bowl hump. They released Jaire Alexander in the secondary, but Javon Bullard is ready to step up at safety and could be one of the better safeties in the NFL.
Bullard is one of the more versatile players on the defense. He switches between safety and corner depending on the formation, but his standard position is safety. He was asked about how much the Packers use him in multiple ways and if it's difficult or not, and he was fired up about it.
“I love it. Now, I'm embracing it,” Bullard said. “Last year, to be honest with you, maybe I felt like it was a negative. Now I'm thinking of it as a positive.
“They don't know where (number) 20 will line up.”
The 2024 second-round pick out of Georgia sees time as the slot corner, but then runs with the starters at safety. It's a lot to manage, but Bullard is ready and willing to move around the defensive formation, whereas last season, he was not as prepared.
“I was a little naïve,” Bullard admitted about his 2024 season. “Like OK, I'm playing nickel this week. I'm good. Then somebody goes down, ‘Oh, Bull, go to safety.' My mind wasn't on that.
“Now I'm conscious of it. I wasn't preparing for that last year. I was more so preparing for the position I'm playing, that's it. But now, there's a possibility I could play both. Alright, let's do it. Study both. Be a pro. Be on your (stuff).”
Javon Bullard also suffered an injury late last season, which hampered his versatility. He played through a fractured heel in Week 14, missed two games, and returned in Week 17.
“It was rough,” he said. “Yeah, that (stuff) hurt. But I mean, our training staff is one of the best. They're going to help you out whichever way they can. So I was able to thug it out.
“I don't know any other way. If you can play, you can play. I love this team. I love the camaraderie we have. I love the brotherhood we're building. I'd do anything for this team.”
The Packers are primed for a run this season because they finally seem like their offense and defense are on the same level. This defense feels like it's nearly elite with players like Javon Bullard littering the unit, and this offense only got better after drafting Matthew Golden in the first round to join a deep receiving corps.
