How good will the New York Jets be in 2026?
According to Will Parkinson of the “Badlands” family, it is dependent on how quickly things click for rookie pass rusher David Bailey.
“We didn’t hear a lot about David Bailey [during OTAs and mandatory minicamp]. He was the highest drafted defensive player in franchise history. What does he look like in pads? What does he look like on an NFL field? If he’s good right away, and he’s going against Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu every day. We’re getting the tweets from me, you [Jake Asman], Zack [Rosenblatt], Coz [Brian Costello], Rich [Cimini], whoever it is, and it’s like David Bailey had his third sack of practice today. We’re going to be like, ‘Hmm, interesting,’” Parkinson said on “The Jake Asman Show” on ESPN New York.
“I think [Omar] Cooper, [Kenyon] Sadiq, and [D’Angelo] Ponds are going to be classic training camp guys where skill position players shine a little bit in 7-on-7s and 1-on-1s, but [if] we are starting to get some David Bailey hype and you start to say hey the defense has a higher floor with some of the additions that they made throughout the veteran market. If David Bailey is good right away, I think the ceiling of this team raises significantly. If he’s not good right away, I’m not saying that it hurts the floor, but it’s hard to figure out if they’re going to reach that seven, eight, nine win potential that people are hoping for,” Parkinson said.
Bailey Has Been Completely Overlooked
There is so much going on at 1 Jets Drive.
The team had three first-round picks in 2026. There was a lot of conversation about Geno Smith’s legal problems and what they could do in 2027 to find the long-term guy.
Bailey was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Yet it has been quiet on that front. Part of that is because pass rushers aren’t supposed to flourish in shorts and a t-shirt. You can’t properly evaluate them until the pads come on. That won’t happen for the green and white until August.
When the pads do come on, the Jets are going to need a Herculean effort from Bailey. The Jets stunk at rushing the passer last year (31st in sacks in 2025). That gave opposing quarterbacks all day to throw. This naturally provided limited opportunities for the defense to create takeaways.
One hand feeds the other. If the Jets can turn up the heat with a pass rush, that should open the door for more turnovers.
The pressure is on Bailey to be a stud immediately. If he is with the Jets, they could surprise some folks in 2026.
Analyst Is Buying the Hype
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report was tasked with buying or selling the latest hype heading into training camp with several teams.
One of his subject matters was Bailey having a big role this season. Knox said he is buying that notion.
“While [Fernando] Mendoza may not see the field early, No. 2 overall pick David Bailey probably will. The New York Jets made Bailey the first non-quarterback off the board in April, even though the talented Texas Tech pass-rusher wasn’t a complete prospect,” Knox explained.
“Despite his deficiencies as a run defender, Bailey is expected to be a big-time contributor as a rookie. A different team might take its time developing Bailey in a rotational role, using him strictly in passing situations while developing him as a run defender. Other teams, though, are likely to view winning as their top 2026 priority,” Knox wrote.
“Bailey might be a liability against the run initially, but fans should still expect to see him on the field early and often this fall,” Knox added.
People may overreact to whether or not Bailey is a starter on the first snap of defense in Week 1. Bailey’s alleged weaknesses in run defense have been well documented before the NFL draft. That could lead the Jets to rolling out more proven run defenders on early downs (Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare).
However, he is going to get his fair share of opportunities to live up to his draft billing. Bailey’s development holds the keys to how good the Jets can be this year. No pressure.
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