Well-traveled defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard was one of the new acquisitions by the New Orleans Saints last offseason. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley looked at upgrading a front seven that was consistently pushed around and flattened in 2024. Bullard was one of five new additions in the front seven rotation.

A third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears out of Florida, Bullard joined the sixth team in ten years when signing with the Saints. In his first five stops, Bullard had 6.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. This is how the defensive lineman fared in his newest stop with the Saints.

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Jonathan Bullard Year in Review

NFL experience: 10 years (1st with Saints)

2025 season: 15 games (6 starts)

Despite a relatively quiet preseason, Bullard made the active roster and would be a consistent part of the defensive line rotation. In the Saints modified 3-4, he played as much in the nose tackle spot as he did defensive end. It was a rotation that performed much better overall than the unit did during the 2024 season.

Bullard was often used in short yardage situations and some base alignments on early downs. He was one of the team’s better defenders against the run and was in on some big stops on short yardage or goal-line situations. His 327 defensive snaps were just 34% of the total on that side of the ball in his 15 games. However, the Saints rose from 31st in run defense to 19th in part because of his underrated contributions.

Bullard didn’t have a sack or QB hits in 2025, but did have 4 tackles for loss among his 26 total stops. He also batted down 2 passes and contributed 4 pressures. Now entering free agency, Bullard could be brought back on a cheap deal depending on other additions the Saints make at the position. New Orleans needs a big-bodied run stopper in the middle and would be smart to add an edge rusher, but Jonathan Bullard showed that he could be a productive part of the inside rotation.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints 2025 Year in Review: Jonathan Bullard was a big help up front