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Vikings roster countdown: No. 93 Jonathan Bullard — journeyman DT

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Vikings
By Will Ragatz | Last updated 7/11/23

Ahead of the Vikings' 2023 training camp beginning in late July, we'll be taking a look at every player on the 90-man roster, counting down from 99 to 0 (excluding the UDFAs, who we already profiled). For every player, we'll look at the best and worst-case scenarios and their realistic outlook for the upcoming season.

No. 93: Jonathan Bullard, DT/DE

Age: 29 | Size: 6'3", 290

Jonathan Bullard has carved out a nice journeyman NFL career for himself since being selected in the third round back in 2016. He spent three seasons with the Bears, then bounced from Arizona to Seattle to Atlanta and eventually to Minnesota, where he reunited with Chris Rumph, his college position coach. This year, he'll likely play a second consecutive season with the same team for the first time since his Bears days.

Coming out of the University of Florida, Bullard's athleticism and senior-year production — 6.5 sacks, 18 total tackles for loss — made him a top-75 pick. But he only started five games across three seasons in Chicago, occupying a rotational role and providing roughly replacement-level play. Bullard has been good enough to keep making a roster and earning some playing time every year, but he's also been mediocre enough to play for five teams in five seasons. Interestingly, he's earned a PFF grade between 56.2 and 56.7 (60 is average) in four consecutive years.

With the Vikings in 2022, Bullard started a career-high seven games and played 318 defensive snaps, his highest total since his second season. As usual, he was merely adequate, recording five tackles for loss and a solid run defense grade. Bullard didn't have a sack all season, but did have his first postseason sack in the loss to the Giants.

Best-case scenario: Bullard sees another 300-400 snaps in a rotational role and plays well enough to stick around in Minnesota for a third season in 2024.

Worst-case scenario: Already behind Harrison Phillips, Dean Lowry, and Khyiris Tonga on the projected depth chart, Bullard falls out of the rotation in favor of someone like rookie Jaquelin Roy or second-year player Esezi Otomewo. He ends up fighting for a roster spot on his sixth different team next year.

Outlook for 2023: As mentioned, Bullard is essentially a replacement-level veteran defensive tackle. And to be clear, those are valuable players to have. You know what you're going to get from him. If he can hold off players like Roy, Otomewo, James Lynch, and Blacklock, he should make the roster as part of the DL rotation for Brian Flores.

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