The Green Bay Packers defense received a timely lift this week when safety Javon Bullard returned to the practice field.
Bullard, a third-year player, practiced Wednesday after missing time with a foot injury that first kept him out beginning Aug. 10.
He had been spotted in a walking boot earlier in camp. Six days later he was moving around without it. Seventeen days after what was described as a bruise on his foot, he was back working with teammates.
Coaches eased him in. Bullard took part only in lighter work. The plan is for him to increase his workload so he can be ready for the opening week of the regular season.
His presence matters because the Packers have been searching for a reliable option in the slot. In coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, that spot doubles as a third-safety role. It demands versatility and a solid grasp of the defense.
The team first tried Johnathan Baldwin. He later was waived with an injury settlement.
Next came Kitan Oladapo. As a depth safety, he offered some of the traits the staff wanted. Coverage issues in the preseason raised doubts about whether he could hold the job.
Kamal Hadden also returned to practice after a serious leg injury suffered the previous year. He had played in the slot for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, but he had no slot snaps with Green Bay. Even so, he stood out as the best available choice at the time.
Bullard’s return changes the picture. What had been a clear weakness now looks like a potential strength.
He fits what Gannon wants. The coordinator likes versatile safety alignments, and Bullard can slide around the defense.
In college he played both safety and slot. In the NFL he has done the same. He logged 333 snaps in the slot, 259 as a deep safety and 187 in the box or on the line.
In his second season he spent most of his time in the slot. He played 493 snaps there, 100 as a free safety and 118 in the box. The Packers now want to blend those responsibilities.
Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company described how a three-safety package with Bullard differs from a standard nickel look that also uses him.
“To make it short and simple, a Nickel defense is basically a 4-3 with a slot defender subbing out the strong-side outside linebacker, from a personnel perspective, so that the fifth defensive back can match up against a slot receiver instead of a linebacker,” Mosqueda wrote.
The three-safety alignment changes both the front and the back end.
“Instead of two interior linemen, there are three of them, and they’re all 300-pounders,” Mosqueda added.
He also pointed out differences in the secondary.
“One of the ‘split’ safeties in this package (with the first-team defense) is always Evan Williams (the number two safety). The other ‘split’ safety is the slot defender. Sometimes, the next man up in the slot isn’t the next man up at ‘true’ safety, but the slot still gets the looks as a split safety in these Penny snaps,” Mosqueda wrote.
That flexibility — different looks with the same group of players — is what the Packers hope will help the defense improve in 2026.Bullard still has work to do as he ramps up. But having him back on the field gives the staff a chance to install the packages it prefers before the games that count.
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