The Jets made linebacker David Bailey the second overall pick in the draft because they believed he could make game-changing plays in their defense, but his first four games led to some grumbling about his lack of impact.
Bailey had two sacks in those contests, but they couldn’t stop the Jets from going 1-3. The grunt will be harder to find after Bailey’s performance in the team’s fifth game of the year.
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Bailey had three sacks of Deshaun Watson in a 17-12 home win and Bailey said after the game that the defense “came together and sat down and made a list of things we needed to work on as a whole and individually.” That effort paid off big for Bailey and the Jets on Sunday.
“I’ve told everyone that his time will come,” head coach Aaron Glenn said, via a transcript from the team. “I have all the confidence in him in the world. He did a good job today. He did a good job. There are some things that he’s got to work on. For him to come out and have, I think, three sacks, that’s who David is and we expected that.”
Bailey’s performance also led to a change in the betting markets. He is now the favorite for defensive rookie of the year in the sportsbooks and will remain there if Sunday’s performance is a sign of things to come.