Jets’ David Bailey has the perfect setup to wreck Titans in Week 1

The New York Jets took David Bailey with the second overall pick in April's draft, making him the highest-drafted defensive player in team history.

He was the talk of the summer, as by all accounts, he was one of the best defensive players on the field for the Jets.

With the games actually mattering now, Bailey has the perfect matchup to be a difference-maker for this team in Week 1. The Titans don't have a stout offensive line, and Cam Ward is going into his sophomore year after a brutal campaign last year.

New York Jets edge David Bailey has 2 major advantages against the Titans

Ward looks to extend plays, which leads to him holding onto the ball. Last season, he finished with a 2.92-second time-to-throw measurement, per The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner. That's far too long and gives pass rushers extra time to get home.

For a player like Bailey, who has a lightning-quick get-off and can close when in pursuit, that could spell great things for New York. In addition to Ward holding onto the ball, Bailey's most consistent matchup will be Tennessee's right tackle, JC Latham.

Latham is entering his third year and has shown signs of being good, but the consistency is not there yet. Last season, in 13 games, he allowed eight sacks, 33 pressures, and committed 14 penalties.

We all know that Bailey can create havoc, as he did against far better players in camp like Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu. He secured a sack in the preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, blowing past Broderick Jones to take down Will Howard.

He even cooked Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke a couple of times during their joint practices. Bailey has gotten the better of several other tackles who are better players than Latham, which should make Jets fans feel good about his ability to make an immediate impact in Week 1.

The lights are bright now, and there will be plenty of attention on what Bailey does in his debut. Of course, as a rookie, you can't get too hype yet. There's a learning curve that comes with going from college to the NFL, but at the same time, you have to take into consideration the reporting that comes from writers who attend practice and can give honest opinions on what they see.

Nearly every writer who covers the Jets has said Bailey has been THAT good. Week after week throughout training camp, Bailey was a consistent factor for the defense. He will now get the chance to continue building on what he did this summer.

Throughout preseason, the Titans' starting offense didn't do much. In two outings, Ward went 13-of-24 for 126 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. But he has problems pushing the ball downfield.

Warren Sharp of SharpFootball revealed that Ward was 0-of-6 on passes with more than seven air yards this preseason on 25 dropbacks. Last season, he was ranked last among quarterbacks with a 43 percent completion percentage on passes with more than seven air yards.

From last things looked like this preseason, Ward is still struggling in that area. He will look to create chunk plays, and that will lead to him holding onto the ball. If New York is able to get a lead and force the Titans into more passing situations, Bailey has the runway to make an immediate impact from Day 1. Regardless, Bailey should get in the backfield on a regular basis in this outing, as the matchup is favorable for him.

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