David Bailey makes Jets history we haven't seen since Shaun Ellis in Week 2

It's hard to feel positive about the New York Jets right now, especially after their soul-sucking defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. But there are always silver linings, whether fans want to hear it or not.

One of those bright spots was one of the biggest acquisitions of this past offseason. No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, tabbed as a win-now player throughout the pre-draft process, is beginning to live up to that analysis.

On Sunday, Bailey brought down Packers quarterback Jordan Love on the first play of the game, bringing his total through the first two games of his young career to two. He's the first Jet since Shaun Ellis to record a sack in each of his first two games, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

It's a positive sign that the Jets rookie is already making franchise history, but is Bailey making the high-end impact expected of the first defensive player off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft?

How good has New York Jets rookie David Bailey been?

If you want to be hyper-critical of Bailey and point to some of his sacks being fugazi, you absolutely could. His sack on Cam Ward against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 was a minor shove out of bounds, and the one on Love was thanks to a busted play that Bailey sniffed out.

But Bailey needs credit for something, because outside of those two sacks, he hasn't been as great as initially anticipated.

The former Texas Tech standout's first game in Tennessee wasn't amazing, according to Pro Football Focus. He received an overall grade of 51.1 and a pass-rush grade of 55.5, both in the bottom 12 of qualified edges.

Funnily enough, Bailey's best performance was in the run game, which was the area of his game scrutinized most throughout the pre-draft process. He recorded a run-defense grade of 63.5, the 25th best out of 61 edges.

Bailey's so-so performances continued into Week 2, as outside his sack on the first play, he only managed one tackle for loss and committed a back-breaking penalty on a pivotal 3rd and 19 late in the game.

He's only played in two NFL games, so there's still plenty of time for Bailey to continue to improve. But it's also fair to expect more from him, considering the fact that he had some lofty expectations coming out of college.

Hopefully, Bailey continues to set or match Jets records and does so while steadily improving throughout his rookie season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow