David Bailey's uneven Week 3 performance isn't the edge room's biggest problem

The chatter surrounding New York Jets' top pick David Bailey's Week 3 performance against the Detroit Lions is all over the map. There are those who feel as if the promising rookie pulled a disappearing act, while others feel as if he was better than expected. Others think he was good, just in unexpected ways.

The truth of the matter is the Jets' pass rush as a whole didn't do a great job of getting pressure on Jared Goff, and with that extra time, the Detroit quarterback tore his way through New York's defense. The two times he was sacked were because Aaron Glenn dialed up the pressure, and the extra rushers broke free to take Goff down.

In that regard, Bailey was the best of the bunch. The 23-year-old registered three pressures over 18 pass-rush snaps. Certainly not terrible numbers, but it's fair to want more. Bailey made an immediate impact in Week 1. His sack and forced-fumble numbers had him in elite company following Week 2. Per Pro Football Focus, his 10 pressures through three weeks rank 19th among all edge rushers entering Monday night's action.

These are good numbers, but there are some caveats. The opener came against a porous Tennessee Titans offensive line. In Week 2, the Green Bay Packers' line was already battered and bruised. The Lions were a greater challenge, but Bailey didn't match up against three-time All-Pro Penei Sewell. Instead, he was often matched up against rookie right tackle Blake Miller. It was understandable to want more.

David Bailey needs help from the rest of the Jets' edge room for the pass rush to truly succeed

Here's the deal. Bailey could've been better in what ultimately was a favorable matchup, but he was far from the problem, either.

For one thing, the Jets haven't gotten much of anything from the interior pass rush. This is a topic for another day, but not only are the defensive tackles not making his job easier by flushing the quarterback outside, but they're also not even pushing the pocket to the point where the opposing signal caller can't simply step up to avoid pressure off the edge.

More concerning, though, is the lack of production from everyone not named Bailey. Kingsley Enagbare is better known as an edge-setter in the run game, but was completely blanked as a pass rusher against Detroit. Joseph Ossai was supposed to be the more balanced of the pair of free-agent edge signings, but his season debut severely lacked juice.

Will McDonald IV is someone we already know to be streaky. Last season, the speed rusher's eight sacks were clustered in just four of the 15 games he played. He was on fire against the Titans, but has disappeared in the two weeks since.

That trio of veterans combined for one total pressure over 43 combined pass rush snaps against Detroit, good for a paltry 2.3% pressure rate, a far cry from the 16.7% rate that Bailey put up by himself.

Getting pressure from the other side is going to be crucial. Not only will it help Bailey if he can get some cleanup sacks when a teammate pushes the quarterback his way, but in terms of holistic pass-rush efficiency, finding a way for both edges to play off each other is going to be key to unlocking the production.

Think about the combo of Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers and how they played off each other when they were at their best in New York. That's the kind of attack the Jets need to find now. That's going to mean that either Enagbare or Ossai is going to need to step up. It would also be nice for McDonald IV to become the situational demon that Aaron Glenn envisions. For now, we haven't seen it, though.

If there was a true silver lining for Bailey, it was his performance in the run game. He was credited with two run stops and used his athleticism to make a couple of splash plays in that facet. Run defense wasn't his calling card coming out of Texas Tech, and he still needs work as an edge setter, stacking and shedding blocks. But when he reads run and gets off the ball quickly, he can be a menace, knifing through the line and finding the running back in the backfield.

Bailey hasn't been bad, but he certainly could be better. Even if he improves in Week 4, it won't make much of a difference until the rushers on the other side get going.

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