Thursday, July 30, was officially the David Bailey coming-out party for the New York Jets.
On the second day of training camp practice, Bailey was “unblockable” according to Jets on SI reporter Nick Faria.
“Bailey, in particular, is killing both [Armand] Membou and Olu [Fashanu],” Faria posted on X.
“Rookie David Bailey led the way — three sacks, unofficially. His quickness and short-area acceleration jump out. It’ll be fascinating to gauge his development throughout camp, especially when the pads go on,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote.
Social Media Erupts After Bailey Showing
“David Bailey just bull rushed Armand Membou AND Breece Hall to get a sack. He’s looking dominant today,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic described.
“Big winner of the day was David Bailey. Second overall pick looked the part. Was most dominant player on the field, but again…no pads,” Faria stated.
Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News said, “David Bailey harassed [Geno Smith] for the better part of the day with three sacks.”
Brian Costello of the New York Post said, “David Bailey with an impressive practice. He’s fun to watch. So quick. Next step is seeing what he does when the pads come on.”
“Only took 2 training camp practices to convince me David Bailey is getting 15 sacks and winning DROY[Defensive Rookie of the Year]” Dylan of NYJetsFanOnly posted.
“Idk why people are so shocked that David Bailey is looking like a stud. He was one of the most dominant edges of the 2020s,” Stefan of Jets X-Factor posted.
The ultimate compliment for Bailey came from his teammates. Jets offensive lineman Joe Tippmann told the media that Olu and Membou called Bailey a “pain in the [expletive]” via Faria.
The Real Test Comes in Days
Anytime your talented rookie performs, that is good news. The proper context is that Bailey did this in a t-shirt and shorts. On Monday, August 3, the Jets put on the pads for the first time in training camp.
Head coach Aaron Glenn was giddy at the thought of it when speaking to the media, “Absolutely. The league allows us to do it. Absolutely. You don’t have to check that.”
“Yeah, he’s everything that we expected him to be. It’ll be real exciting once we get the pads on, and I think we all understand through these acclimation days [that] we are still in shorts. Just to be able to see the energy, the speed, the quickness off the edge, and the ability to hold a strong edge in the way that he wants to play the run game is everything I imagined from that player,” Glenn explained.
The Jets know better than anybody that just because you take a player high doesn’t mean they will be good. Heck, the Jets took Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, and he was a bust. They’re hoping for much better results from Bailey.
If he is successful during his rookie season, that will have a huge ripple effect on the rest of the defense.
“I think it starts upfront. You know I’m a DB [defensive back], and I’m not ashamed to say that. It starts with the guys upfront putting pressure on the quarterback, making them make bad throws and bad decisions, having them pat the ball back there,” Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said on trying to create interception opportunities.
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