Calen Bullock

Calen Bullock
Bullock at the 2026 Pro Bowl Games
No. 2 – Houston Texans
PositionSafety
Roster status
Active
Personal information
Born (2003-04-30) April 30, 2003 (age 23)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight
190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn Muir (Pasadena)
CollegeUSC (2021–2023)
NFL draft2024: 3rd round, 78th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles118
Forced fumbles1
Fumble recoveries1
Pass deflections21
Interceptions9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Calen Bullock Jr. (born April 30, 2003) is an American professional football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans.

Early life

Bullock was born on April 30, 2003, in Pasadena, California. He attended and played high school football for John Muir High School in Pasadena, playing defensive back and wide receiver. He committed to USC to play college football.

College career

Bullock entered his true freshman season at USC in 2021 as a starter for the opening game due to starter Isaiah Pola-Mao testing positive for COVID-19. Overall he started six of 12 games recording 39 tackles and two interceptions. Bullock was named first-team All-Pac-12 in 2023 after recorded 42 tackles, seven pass deflections, and two interceptions. He declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the season.

Professional career

Pre-draft

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Bullock would be selected in the third or fourth round in the 2024 NFL draft. Following the pre-draft process, NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks ranked Bullock the third-best prospect amongst all safeties in the draft. Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the fourth-best safety prospect (81st overall) available in the draft. NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Bullock ranked as the seventh-best safety prospect (98th overall) in the draft. Scouts Inc. had him listed as the fifth-best safety (104th overall) on their official big board.

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard splitVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		188 lb
(85 kg)		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		9 in
(0.23 m)		6 ft 6+1⁄8 in
(1.98 m)		4.48 s1.51 s2.62 s33.0 in
(0.84 m)		10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		8 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day

2024 season

The Houston Texans selected Bullock in the third round (78th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft. In order to secure their ability to immediately draft Bullock, the Texans traded their third (86th overall) and fourth round (123rd overall) picks in the 2024 NFL draft to the Philadelphia Eagles in return for the third round pick (78th overall) used to draft Bullock.

External videos
video icon Texans select Calen Bullock 78th overall

On May 17, 2024, the Houston Texans signed Bullock to a four—year, $8.85 million rookie contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $1.07 million. Throughout training camp, Bullock competed against veteran Jimmie Ward for a starting role as a strong safety. Head coach Demeco Ryans named Bullock a backup safety to begin the regular season, behind Jalen Pitre, Jimmie Ward, and Eric Murray.

On September 8, 2024, Bullock made his professional regular season debut in the Texans' season-opener at the Indianapolis Colts and made three tackles, one pass deflection, and had the first interception of his career on a pass attempt by Anthony Richardson as they won 29—27. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. On September 29, 2024, Bullock earned his first career start in place of Jimmie Ward who was inactive due to a groin injury and recorded five combined tackles (three solo) and had a pass deflection during a 20—24 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 15, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (three solo), made three pass deflections, and had his fifth interception of the season as the Texans defeated the Miami Dolphins 12—20. He completed his rookie campaign with a total of 54 combined tackles (37 solo), 11 pass deflections, and five interceptions in 17 games and 13 starts.

2025 season

Bullock entered training camp slated as a starting safety following the departure of Eric Murray and the recovery of Jimmie Ward after undergoing surgery. He opted to change his jersey number from No. 21 to No. 2 after 2 became available following the departure of wide receiver Robert Woods. Head coach Demeco Ryans named Bullock the starting free safety to begin the season, alongside C. J. Gardner-Johnson at strong safety and Jalen Pitre at nickelback.

On November 20, 2025, Bullock made five solo tackles, two pass deflections, and set a career-high with two interceptions off pass attempts thrown by Josh Allen as the Texans defeated the Buffalo Bills 19—23. In Week 16, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (three solo) during a 23—21 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. He started all 17 games throughout the season and finished with 64 combined tackles (44 solo), ten pass deflections, and four interceptions.

The Houston Texans finished the 2025 NFL season second in the AFC South with a 12—5 record, earning a playoff berth. On January 12, 2026, Bullock recorded three solo tackles, one pass deflection, and had the first pick-six of his career as the Texans routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 30—6 in the AFC Wild-Card Game. He intercepted a pass attempt by Aaron Rodgers to tight end Pat Freiermuth and returned it 50-yards to score the first touchdown of his career. On January 26, 2026, Bullock was announced to be selected for the 2026 Pro Bowl, as a replacement for Steelers' safety Jalen Ramsey. Pro Football Focus had him finish with an overall grade of 69.3, which ranked 29th amongst 98 safeties in 2025.

Career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckIntYdsAvgLngTDPDFFFRYdsTD
2024HOU 17135437170.059618.6680110100
2025HOU 17176444200.044010.0290101000
Career343011881370.0913615.1680211100

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckIntYdsAvgLngTDPDFFFRYdsTD
2024HOU 225230.0000.00000000
2025HOU 228440.015050.050110000
Career4413670.015050.050110000

References

  1. ↑ Grosbard, Adam (April 19, 2020). "John Muir DB Calen Bullock commits to USC football". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  2. ↑ Kartje, Ryan (April 19, 2020). "Muir defensive back Calen Bullock commits to USC as its recruiting roll continues". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  3. ↑ Grosbard, Adam (September 5, 2021). "Freshman safety Calen Bullock steps up in USC's moment of need". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  4. ↑ Morales, Antonio (September 10, 2021). "USC freshman Calen Bullock's talent can't be overlooked anymore: 'He's not even close to his potential'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ Grosbard, Adam (October 13, 2022). "USC safety Calen Bullock benefiting from new focus". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (November 17, 2022). "'Who runs the city?' John Humphrey and Calen Bullock of Pasadena prepare for UCLA-USC rivalry reunion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ "2023 Pac-12 Football Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva, and All-Conference honors announced". pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. December 4, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Brizuela, James (December 23, 2023). "USC Football: Trojans Calen Bullock Officially Declares For NFL Draft". SI.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Bucky Brooks (April 17, 2024). "Bucky Brooks' top five 2024 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0: Laiatu Latu new top edge rusher". NFL.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Safeties". PFF.com. April 17, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ Daniel Jeremiah (April 22, 2024). "Daniel Jeremiah's Top 150 prospects in the 2024 NFL draft". NFL.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ Steve Muench (April 24, 2024). "2024 NFL draft rankings: Scouts Inc.'s full board, grades". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  13. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Calen Bullock Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  14. ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Calen Bullock College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Cole (April 27, 2024). "Texans select DB Calen Bullock with 78th overall pick in 2024 NFL draft". Texans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Evaluating USC S Calen Bullock's fit with the Houston Texans". 247Sports.com. May 13, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Calen Bullock contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  18. ↑ Chris Gordy (September 3, 2024). "Texans Release Week 1 Depth Chart Ahead of Colts Game". sportstalk790.iheart.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ Warren, Sam (September 13, 2024). "The newest playmaker on Texans' defense: Calen Bullock". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ Thompson, Cole (January 22, 2025). "Texans DB Calen Bullock named to PFWA All-Rookie Team". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans - September 29th, 2024". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans - December 15th, 2024". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Pro-Football-Reference: Calen Bullock Game Logs (2024)". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  24. ↑ "2025 Houston Texans Depth Chart Heading into NFL Week 1". FoxSports.com. September 2, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans - November 20th, 2025". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Wild Card - Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 12th, 2026". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Houston Texans S Calen Bullock and CB Kamari Lassiter Named To 2026 Pro Bowl Games". HoustonTexans.com. January 26, 2026. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Pro Football Focus: Calen Bullock". PFF.com. Retrieved July 12, 2026.