The Jets didn’t leave much room for patience with David Bailey, and they probably never could have anyway.
In a league where every rookie is judged by the snap count and every mistake gets amplified online, Bailey has already given New York exactly what it hoped for. He’s up to two sacks and a forced fumble, which puts him among just six players league-wide with those numbers. That kind of start doesn’t just quiet the noise - it changes the conversation.
New York also deserves credit for not sitting on its hands. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey made the call to get Bailey on the field right away, and they’ve stuck with it.
The ex-Texas Tech standout played 70% of the Jets’ defensive snaps in Week 1 and then followed that with 73 percent against the Packers last Sunday. For a rookie, that kind of workload sends a clear message.
The Jets’ confidence in Bailey stands out even more when you look around the league. Carnell Tate, the No. 4 pick by the Titans, saw his snap share fall from 88 percent to 75 percent despite Tennessee being locked in a tight game with the Eagles. The Chiefs, meanwhile, did not play cornerback Mansoor Delane, the No. 6 pick, last week even though he was active after a Week 1 shoulder injury.
The Commanders have gone the other direction with Sonny Styles. The No. 7 pick was on the field for all 55 defensive snaps in Week 2, finishing with three tackles in a 17-point loss to the Cowboys. Washington at least seems committed to giving him the chance to grow through real game reps.
That’s the broader point here: outside of quarterbacks or injured players, top-10 picks ought to be logging at least 70 percent of the snaps in September. You can make the case for even more, but with so many schemes asking a lot of rookies, getting them on the field for seven out of every 10 snaps is a solid starting point.
Not every team has handled that part well. The Cardinals’ decision to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 looks worse with each passing week. Through two games, Tyler Allegier has played 76 snaps to Love’s 52, and a preseason high ankle sprain doesn’t do much to explain Mike LaFleur’s reasoning.
The Jets will get another look at a top-10 rookie in Week 5 when they host the Browns and No. 9 pick Spencer Tano. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound left tackle has played every snap so far.
In Other News...
Jets Face A Kicker Decision They Cant Delay Much Longer
The Jets have spent the opening stretch of the 2026 season trying to play it both ways at kicker, alternating between Blake Grupe and Jason Sanders while waiting for one of them to separate. Sanders, who is on the practice squad, has already been elevated three times and is expected to handle the job again in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, giving New York one more look before it has to make a cleaner call.
After Sunday, the decision gets harder to avoid. NFL rules limit practice squad elevations, so the Jets will need to either sign Sanders to the active roster or stick with Grupe and move forward without the weekly flexibility they have leaned on so far. For a team trying to steady a position that can swing games in a hurry, the clock on this one is already running down. [Read more 🡒]
Jets WR Crisis Could Force An Unexpected Choice Vs Lions
The Jets are heading into their game against the Lions with their receiver room stretched thin, and Aaron Glenn said the team plans to elevate a wideout from the practice squad to help patch things together. With multiple injuries leaving the position group short on healthy bodies, the move feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity as New York tries to get through another week.
Sterling Shepard and Tyler Johnson were recently added to the practice squad, giving the Jets a pair of veteran options to consider before kickoff. Glenn did not say which one would get the call, so the decision now hangs over a depth chart already under pressure and adds one more bit of intrigue to a matchup the Jets would rather approach with more stability on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Pass Rush Has A Real Chance To Rattle Detroit
The Jets edge group is heading into a matchup that could shape the night against Detroit, with rookie David Bailey set to be part of a rotation that has quietly given New York a chance to pressure quarterbacks all season. Bailey has already flashed real pass-rushing ability, and the larger challenge for the Jets is turning that into a steady problem for a Lions offense that will be sorting out its tackles as the game unfolds.
Bailey figures to see one of two familiar-looking tests on the edge, either Blake Miller coming back from injury or Larry Borom after a rough recent outing, while Kingsley Enagbare and Will McDonald should also be in the mix. For a Jets defense looking to make an impact early, this is the kind of matchup where one strong stretch from the front can tilt the whole game plan. [Read more 🡒]