Perhaps John Bullock was simply too ferocious for the Indianapolis Colts. He was only with the team a short time and only this offseason. Indy decided they no longer needed Bullock's services even before training camp and released the linebacker. Now, he is back with his original team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Of course, general manager Chris Ballard choosing two linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft, CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher, also didn't help Bullock's cause. After all, he had played only one year in the NFL and not much on defense, just five snaps.
He had made his bones on special teams, getting in on 64 percent of the Bucs reps last season, and playing with a perfect kind of physicality for the third phase of the game. That also led to a bit of trouble for the player.
John Bullock is back with the Buccaneers after being released by the Indianapolis Colts
Late in Week 16, trailing the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers, Bullock was called for a dead-ball unnecessary roughness penalty on a kickoff that pushed his team back to their own 10-yard line. With little time left and a long way to go to try to at least even the game, Tampa Bay failed. Bullock was blamed by many for what happened.
The truth, of course, is that one player does not a season make. The linebacker had 10 tackles on special teams and would have been a good presence on the Colts in that capacity, too. Had Ballard not taken Allen and Boettcher, maybe Bullock could have been a staple on kick and punt coverage while trying to get more plays as an inside linebacker.
NFL teams covet a player who plays with ultra-aggression and doesn't mind doing the dirty work. That's John Bullock, though at 6-feet and 230 pounds, he might not be big enough to hold up on defense. He's a bit too small and not fast enough to be extremely disruptive.
Not that Indianapolis Colts fans have to worry about that anymore. The team did a reset at inside licker, and the entire defense should be better off because of it. CJ Allen will almost certainly start, and Bryce Boettcher might soon join him.
The future looks brighter for Lou Anarumo's defense. The cornerback group, even after releasing Kenny Moore, is fantastic. The team got younger and faster all around, and maybe Jaylahn Tuimoloau will step up in his second season. A better defense could mean a playoff appearance. John Bullock wasn't needed for that.
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