Jonathan Bullard
Jonathan Bullard (born October 22, 1993) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jonathan Bullard in 2018 | |||||||||||
No. 90 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Shelby, North Carolina | October 22, 1993||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 290 lb (132 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Crest (Shelby, North Carolina) | ||||||||||
College: | Florida | ||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 3 / Pick: 72 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||
|
Early years
Bullard attended Crest Senior High School in Shelby, North Carolina. As a senior, he had 82 tackles and 16 sacks. Bullard was a five-star recruit and was ranked as the best defensive end in his class.[1] He committed to the University of Florida to play college football.[2][3]
College career
Bullard played in all 13 games and made two starts as a true freshman at Florida in 2012. He had 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, he played in 11 games with eight starts and recorded 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He started all 12 games and had 52 tackles with 2.5 sacks his junior year in 2014.[4][5] Bullard returned to Florida his senior season rather than enter the 2015 NFL Draft.[6][7][8]
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Bullard was drafted in the third round (72nd overall) by the Chicago Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft.[9] He signed his rookie contract on June 6, 2016.[10] He made his NFL debut on September 11 against the Houston Texans.[11] On October 9, Bullard recorded his first sack of his career, taking down Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck.[12] He finished his rookie season with one start in fourteen games, recording eighteen tackles and a sack.
Bullard recorded his first career pass break-up on September 28, 2017, as well as a tackle against the Green Bay Packers. On October 29, he logged his first forced fumble against the New Orleans Saints, stripping running back Mark Ingram Jr.[13] In a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Bullard got his first and only sack of the 2017 season, bringing down quarterback Carson Wentz on November 26.[14] He finished his second season with three starts, recording 26 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups. Bullard was waived during the final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[15]
Arizona Cardinals
On September 1, 2019, Bullard was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on December 6, 2019 with a hamstring injury.[17] He finished the season with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks through nine games and six starts.
On April 3, 2020, Bullard re-signed with the Cardinals.[18]
References
- Rivals.com
- Hays, Chris (January 7, 2012). "U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Jonathan Bullard commits to Florida Gators". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Abolverdi, Zach (January 7, 2012). "Florida lands five-star defensive end Bullard". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- "Bullard seeks breakout season as a senior for Gators". FOX Sports. July 28, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Low, Chris (April 29, 2015). "Jonathan Bullard embraces lead Gator role". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Hack, Graham (September 30, 2015). "With Jonathan Bullard back, Gators defensive line showing some bite". The Florida Times. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- McPherson, Jordan (October 8, 2015). "UF lineman Jon Bullard reaps rewards of returning to help boost Gators' defense". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Abolverdi, Zach (July 23, 2015). "Bullard vying to be picked high in 2016 NFL Draft". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Mayer, Larry (April 29, 2016). "Bears draft Bullard in third round". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- Mayer, Larry (June 6, 2016). "Bears ink Bullard to four-year deal". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- "Gators in the NFL - Week 1". Florida Gators. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Mullin, John (October 12, 2016). "First career sack was a chore for Bears rookie Jonathan Bullard". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Biggs, Brad (October 29, 2017). "'Salty' defense will make Bears interesting the rest of the season". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Mayer, Larry (November 26, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears blown out by Eagles". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- Alper, Josh. "Bears cut 2016 third-rounder Jonathan Bullard". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- Odegard, Kyle (September 1, 2019). "Cardinals Claim Defensive Lineman Jonathan Bullard, Four Others". AZCardinals.com.
- "Cardinals claim TE Dan Arnold off waivers, place Jonathan Bullard on IR". Cards Wire. USA Today. December 5, 2019.
- Urban, Darren (March 23, 2020). "Jonathan Bullard, Chris Banjo Return To Cardinals". AZCardinals.com.