David Bailey‘s athleticism was on full display during the second practice of Jets training camp. The pads won’t come on until Monday, but the rookie edge rusher showcased how impactful his first-step quickness can be for the Green & White’s defense as he registered 3 would-be sacks.
“He’s everything that we expect him to be and it’ll be real exciting once we get the pads on,” HC Aaron Glenn said. “I think we all understand during these acclimation days, we’re still in shorts, but just to be able to see the energy, and the speed, and the quickness off the edge and the ability to hold a strong edge and the way he wants to play the run game.”
Bailey got in the face of QB Geno Smith several times during the team period, which, like Wednesday, focused primarily on first- and second-down situations. Bailey had reps against both offensive tackles, Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.
Guard Joe Tippmann spoke with the media after practice and provided some insight about what his fellow linemen have said about Bailey: “He’s a pain in the [butt].”
“I think he’s a great player. I think he’s somebody who’s going to make the tackles better and the tackles are going to make him better,” Tippmann said about Bailey. “Olu and Membou, they’ve been phenomenal, just the way they carry themselves, the way they attack every day, it’s impressive, especially for such a young group of tackles.”
Kingsley Enagbare worked opposite Bailey for most of practice and the two combined for a would-be sack on Smith during the last play of the second team period — Smith had no outlet and held the ball.
“He’s going to have a long career,” Enagbare said after Wednesday’s practice. “He can literally do it all, he can stop the run, he can rush the passer, the sky is the limit for him.”