Jonathan Bullard

Vikings To Re-Sign DE Jonathan Bullard

Jonathan Bullard is inking a third contract with the Vikings. The team announced that they’ve resigned the veteran defensive lineman.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Bullard inked a one-year deal worth a max value of $3.25MM.

Bullard has spent the past two seasons in Minnesota, starting 21 of his 29 appearances. During his age-30 season in 2023, he got into a career-high 644 defensive snaps, compiling 44 tackles and a pair of sacks. Pro Football Focus ranked him 115th among 130 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did give him a glimmer of hope for his run-stopping ability.

The former third-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears, where he got into 46 games. He bounced around the league a bit before finding a home in Minnesota, spending time with the Cardinals, Seahawks, and Falcons.

The Vikings will be counting on Bullard to provide some continuity on their defensive line. The veteran will likely continue to slot in next to Harrison Phillips on the Vikings defensive line in 2024.

Vikings Re-Sign DL Jonathan Bullard

For the first time in four years, Jonathan Bullard will be remaining in the same NFL home for more than one season. The veteran defensive lineman agreed to a new deal with the Vikings on Tuesday, per a team announcement.
The 29-year-old played in Chicago for the first three seasons of his career, his longest stint with any one team. He primarily worked in a rotational role with the Bears, but saw an uptick in playing time in 2019 with the Cardinals, starting six of nine game played. His career-high 1.5 sacks that season earned him an intra-divisional move to the Seahawks.

In Seattle, and Atlanta the following year, Bullard was limited to just 15 games played. He saw his usage rate drop over that span, which limited the value of his first Vikings deal. That pact represented the fifth consecutive one-year contract Bullard played on, but it allowed him to take on a larger role than years past. The former third-rounder saw a snap share of 40% in 2022, the third-highest of his career.

Bullard started seven of the 12 games he appeared in during the regular season. A December biceps injury led to a stint on IR, but the Florida product still managed 23 tackles (including five for loss) in his debut Vikings campaign. He was able to return in time for the playoffs, and recorded a sack in the team’s wild card loss to the Giants.

Now, Bullard will continue his stay in the Twin Cities after years of bouncing around the NFC. The Vikings have, to little surprise, seen a number of changes to their defense this offseason, after the unit struggled in 2022 in spite of the team’s overall success. That has included fellow interior d-lineman Dalvin Tomlinson signing with the Browns, and former Packer Dean Lowry being added. Bullard will look to occupy a similar role to the one he had last season as Minnesota aims for a set forward on defense in 2023.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23

Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/23

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

  • Placed on IR: LB De’Jon Harris

Vikings Sign DL Jonathan Bullard, Waive DL Kenny Willekes

Jonathan Bullard will have a chance to play for a fifth team in five years. The veteran defensive lineman agreed to a deal with the Vikings on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Formerly a Bears third-round pick, Bullard, 28, will return to the NFC North after a fairly well-rounded tour of the conference over the past three seasons. The Florida alum spent 2019 with Cardinals, 2020 with the Seahawks and 2021 as a Falcon. He has provided a rotational presence for each team.

The six-year veteran will see multiple familiar faces on Minnesota’s staff. In Minnesota, Bullard will reunite with Ed Donatell, who was a Chicago staffer during Bullard’s three-year Bears run. Perhaps more significantly, new Vikings defensive line coach Chris Rumph was the Gators’ D-line coach during Bullard’s final Gainesville season.

As a pro, Bullard has managed to make 15 starts, having lined up as a first-stringer for three of his four NFL teams. Last season, Bullard made four starts with the Falcons. His high-water mark came with the Cards, who used him as a six-game starter. Bullard only has 3.5 career sacks and 13 tackles for loss, but the veteran interior D-lineman has hung around, playing at least 200 defensive snaps in five of his six seasons.

The Vikings added Harrison Phillips early in free agency but have not re-signed Sheldon Richardson. The team, which is moving to a 3-4 scheme for the first time in decades, drafted Esezi Otomewo in the fifth round.

To make room on their offseason roster, the Vikings waived defensive lineman Kenny Willekes with an injury designation. A 2020 seventh-round pick, Willekes played in six games last season. Despite the limited game log, the Michigan State product recorded 2.5 sacks and seven QB hits. Willekes will revert to the Vikings’ injured reserve if he clears waivers.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/12/22

Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Maxx Williams (remains on IR)

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: TE Mark Vital

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

  • Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Tyler Bray

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

  • Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT David Bada

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/21

Here are the latest NFL minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Signed to reserve/futures deal: QB/WR Joe Webb

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/20

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Claimed off waivers (from Cardinals): T Brett Toth

Seattle Seahawks