Panic turns to relief after a scary injury report. Green Bay Packers' safety Javon Bullard reveals the truth behind his sidelined status and his timeline for returning.
One of the joys of training camp is seeing players get back out there and start preparing for the quickly approaching football season. After what appears to be months "in the wilderness" during the offseason, football is finally back.
One of the major downsides and scary things about training camp is that after some time away, the risk of injury is always present.
Several players have already been lost for the year across the NFL and they haven't even played a real down of football.
That's the stuff that keeps coaches and athletic trainers up at night. That's what made it scary when Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard, expected to be a big part of the puzzle in 2026, found his name on the injury report on Monday.
It was a scary moment, but the trouble appears to be fleeting.
The good news for the Packers is that Bullard said that he's going to be just fine. That's not just good news. That's incredible news for the Packers.
Bullard sat out on Monday with a foot bruise, but he revealed that both he and the Packers are simply playing it safe.
"I'll be back in no time," he said, according to Mike Spofford of the team website. "If we had a game tomorrow, I'd play. It's nothing crazy. We're just trying to proceed with caution right now instead of letting it linger and be dealing with it later on."
One would assume that means Bullard won't play in Green Bay's Thursday Night preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (featuring some old friends), but the rest of the healthy starters should be preparing to get some action over the next few weeks.
Head coach Matt LaFleur is notoriously conservative when it comes to playing starters in the preseason, but he revealed on Monday that he has seen research that would suggest getting that time to shake off the cobwebs can actually be a good thing.
"My experience here is that when we've played in the preseason, we've been better earlier in the season," he said. "Plus there's a lot of data out there that will tell you that if your guys get 'X' amount of snaps in the preseason, I think it's like over three times less likely that they get injured in the regular season."
Green Bay Packers defensive backs Murvin Kenion III (39) and Javon Bullard (7) run through a drill during the first day of training camp on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at the Don Hutson Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinBack to Bullard.
The Packers are expecting him to play a big role in 2026 as new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon looks to utilize a three-safety nickel look more often than not. Both Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams are two of the best in the game, but Bullard could very well be the Packers' X-factor in the slot.
He's a good athlete, but more than anything, he's tough and physical. He's able to bring the boom from a physicality standpoint and the Packers are going to rely on him to set the tone.
The fact that this is just a precautionary stint on the injury report makes this a best-case scenario for both him and the Pack.
