David Bailey credits teammates for first NFL sack in preseason win over Steelers

The New York Jets provided a lot of excitement for fans in their preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Friday night, particularly with a strong display from veteran quarterback Geno Smith and a shutout performance from their defense.

But No. 2 overall pick David Bailey got in on the action as well, recording his first-ever NFL sack on Steelers quarterback Will Howard. The Texas Tech standout treated it like it was no big deal, and veteran teammate Harrison Phillips said after the fact that they may need to work on his celebration.

Regardless, it was another dominant outing from Bailey, who has been uber impressive all summer long with New York. The pre-draft expectations of being an immediate impact player have, at least so far, come to fruition.

But Bailey knows this is only the beginning of what's to come for himself as a player, and that he should only continue to wreak havoc on opposing offenses once the regular season rolls around.

David Bailey enjoys first NFL sack in New York Jets preseason victory

Bailey's sack came just over halfway through the first quarter, on a 3rd and 9 from the Jets' own 42-yard line. The No. 2 overall pick beat former first-round pick Broderick Jones en route to the 11-yard loss, knocking Pittsburgh out of field goal range.

If the play couldn't be any sweeter for Jets fans, Jones was a player whom the team was reportedly targeting in the 2023 NFL Draft, before the New England Patriots orchestrated a trade to allow the Steelers to come up and jump New York for the former Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle.

Bailey was relatively measured about his first professional sack and credited his fellow teammates on the defensive line for opening him up on the play.

"It felt amazing. It was a sense of relief," Bailey told the New York Post's Brian Costello. "It felt good knowing my interior line did their job and the coverage did their job and just allowed me to capitalize."

It was an all-around complete performance from Bailey in the Jets' second preseason game, as he played on the first three defensive possessions with New York's starters and recorded two pressures and the sack on 12 snaps.

It's currently unclear how much head coach Aaron Glenn plans to play his first-team offense and defense in the Jets' preseason finale against the New York Giants, but it's safe if he does rest starters, Bailey is among the bunch who should be watching from the sidelines in a t-shirt and shorts.

He's shown enough throughout the summer that he deserves the rest.

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