The Jets left Week 7 with another bruising loss, this one at home to the winless Dolphins, and it only sharpened the scrutiny around embattled coach Aaron Glenn’s second season in New York.
But while the big-picture questions keep piling up, the Jets do have one clear success story. First-round edge rusher David Bailey has wasted no time looking like a difference-maker, and through seven weeks he’s piled up 5.5 sacks.
Only four players in the league have more. He’s added nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss and three forced fumbles, and he also leads the team with 34 quarterback pressures.
Bailey ranks fifth in the NFL in pressures behind Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner, Aidan Hutchinson and Nik Bonitto. If New York is hunting for anything to feel good about, Bailey is the place to start.
Elsewhere in this rookie class, a Titans linebacker is making his case in a tough season under first-year coach Robert Saleh. Tennessee has had a rough go of it, but Hill has been one of the bright spots.
The second-rounder out of Texas has 68 tackles, tied for third-most in football, and he has played every snap for the Titans so far. He’s not just piling up stops either; Hill has three passes defensed while still chasing his first interception.
For general manager Mike Borgonzi, it’s starting to look like a strong second-day pickup.
Cleveland has gotten plenty from its rookie receivers, though Boston gets the nod over KC Concepcion for now. Boston has found the end zone three times, while Concepcion has yet to score, and Boston has also produced 20 catches for 372 yards.
He’s been the Browns’ splash-play threat, with three receptions of at least 46 yards, helping fuel a surprising 5-2 start that has Cleveland leading the AFC North. That division, notably, has four teams sitting with winning records.
Dallas took Downs at No. 11 after he slid because of positional value, and he’s already justified the pick. Through seven weeks, he has 48 tackles, two quarterback hits and a sack, while holding up well in both zone and man coverage. The Cowboys’ defense sits dead last, but Downs has already become a key piece for the future because of the way he can cover and work downhill.
Tate has also made a fast impression, even with second-year quarterback Cam Ward struggling around him. The first-round receiver has topped 69 yards in three of his last four games, including a nine-catch, 145-yard outing against the Ravens in Week 4. He’s up to 34 catches for 413 yards and is on pace to clear 1,000 yards, something no one else in his class can currently claim.
Washington’s season may be headed nowhere in a one-win campaign, even in the weak NFC East, but Styles has given the Commanders something to build around. The 21-year-old middle linebacker, an All-American at Ohio State in 2025, has been a force for Dan Quinn’s defense with three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. He’s been a complete second-level defender from the start.
The Chiefs have also found a major contributor in Delane, who has been a steady presence for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo since returning from a shoulder injury in Week 3. He missed most of the first two weeks, though he did play the first series of Week 1 and record an interception, and since then he has become a fixture in Kansas City’s secondary.
Delane has played 83.3% of the defensive snaps, mostly in man coverage, and has allowed only 15 completions while adding three tackles for loss. His play has helped the Chiefs get off to a 5-1 start.
Trotter, meanwhile, has been exactly what Tampa Bay hoped for after he slid into the second round. He stepped into the lineup right away and has been everywhere for a rebuilding Buccaneers front, ranking seventh in tackles with 62. He’s also delivered a pick-six, three passes defensed, a sack and three tackles for loss while logging 92% of the defensive snaps.
Miami’s own rookie defender has been just as important to the Dolphins’ rebuild. Rodriguez came out of Texas Tech in the second round and has quickly emerged as a centerpiece for first-year coach and former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Even with Miami’s early bye week, Rodriguez is tied for eighth in the league with 61 tackles. He’s shown range, coverage ability and playmaking chops, including an interception of Patrick Mahomes in Week 3, and he’s added three tackles for loss.
If not for Bailey’s surge in New York, Reese would have a strong claim as the top defensive rookie so far. The former Ohio State standout has been outstanding, posting 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, four passes defensed and an interception while playing 99% of the snaps. At just 21, he still has plenty of room to grow, which is a dangerous thought for the rest of the NFC East.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Have A Real Chance To Seize NFC South Control
A Week 8 swing could leave the Buccaneers in a much different spot in the NFC South race, and the timing matters as much as the result. Tampa Bay has been hovering around the edge of the division picture, but a strong showing against Atlanta would give the Bucs a chance to turn a crowded, uncertain race into something that looks more manageable heading into the next stretch.
The rest of the weekend brings its own pressure points, with Carolina also in the mix and Green Bay standing in the way of the Panthers. Tampa Bay does not need the whole board to break perfectly to feel better about its position, but it does need help elsewhere, and the division could look very different by Sunday night depending on how those results land. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Got The NFC South Opening They Needed
The Buccaneers got a little help elsewhere in the NFC South when the Packers knocked off the Panthers, a result that tightened the race just enough to make Tampa Bays next game loom even larger. For a team still trying to climb back into control of its division path, the timing could hardly be better, with Atlanta coming up as the kind of opponent that can either keep the race crowded or open a door.
Tampa Bay now has a chance to turn that outside break into real leverage, and the stakes are obvious even before kickoff. A win would leave the Buccaneers in striking distance of first place and strengthen their position in the division picture, while a loss would leave them scrambling to recover in a race where every result seems to matter twice as much this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Have An Offensive Problem Fans Never Expected
In a season where the Buccaneers expected their offense to lean on its usual aerial punch, the early results have pointed in a different direction. Injuries and offensive line issues have helped drag the passing game down, and the unit has struggled to get key receivers involved with any consistency. Instead, Tampa Bay has found more success on the ground, a shift that has changed the feel of the offense and forced a different kind of identity than many around the team might have anticipated.
Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Zach Robinson have both made it clear the run game is now the priority, with the coaching staff treating it as the foundation for everything else. For a team that has long been defined by what it can do through the air, the challenge now is whether this more deliberate, run-first approach can hold up long enough to keep the offense balanced and dangerous, especially if the passing game continues to lag behind. [Read more 🡒]