You know the drill: “It’s training camp, take it with a grain of salt.”

That’s true. But there are still ways to extract meaningful takeaways from training camp if you know what to look for.

And in a few crucial areas, the New York Jets have discovered some promising takeaways throughout the first week-plus of camp.

David Bailey’s all-around game

David Bailey was the first non-quarterback chosen in the 2026 NFL draft. He is the reward of a season in which the Jets won three games and were outscored by over 200 points.

Suffice to say, expectations are high for the kid.

We know what Bailey brings to the table. He is coming off one of the most dominant pass-rushing seasons by a college football player in recent memory, and he also has one of the best athletic profiles among edge prospects in recent memory. Very few prospects have come into the NFL with his blend of pass-rush production and physical traits.

The concern that held Bailey back from being viewed as a legitimately “generational” prospect was his run defense—particularly, his fundamentals. He isn’t necessarily undersized, and he surely has the tools to be an excellent run defender, but his awareness, discipline, and play recognition were concerns at Texas Tech.

So far in Florham Park, Bailey has shown some tremendous signs in those areas. He has not been perfect, but per Jets X-Factor’s Robby Sabo, Bailey has consistently shown improvement in his discipline on the edge.

This is the type of thing that can be viewed as a legitimate positive out of training camp. Racking up sacks in shorts does not necessarily predict what will happen in a real game, but play recognition, fundamentals, and awareness are finer points of the sport that could certainly translate to Sunday. Those are habits, not highlight-reel moments.

If Bailey continues his development as a run defender, he could become a three-down game-wrecker for the Jets in due time.

Geno Smith is taking shots

Not only has the Jets’ passing attack been abysmal for many years now, but it’s also been boring. The team annually fails to complete passes downfield, or even attempt them, for that matter.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Jets rank 26th in the NFL with 606 deep pass attempts since 2020, an average of 5.9 per game. Their output on those passes has been utterly horrendous; they rank 32nd in yards per attempt (8.8), first downs (225), and touchdowns (27), while tossing the fourth-most interceptions (41).

Geno Smith’s body of work as a starting quarterback suggests these numbers will change in 2026.

Since becoming a primary starter in 2022, Smith ranks sixth in deep completions (159), eighth in deep attempts (335), and third in deep touchdowns (32), trailing only Baker Mayfield and Jalen Hurts in that category. His 47.5% completion rate on deep passes ranks sixth among quarterbacks with at least 200 deep attempts.

  1. Brock Purdy (55.6%)
  2. Jared Goff (54.2%)
  3. Sam Darnold (51.7%)
  4. Tua Tagovailoa (50.8%)
  5. Matthew Stafford (47.6%)
  6. Geno Smith (47.5%)

So far in training camp, Smith has eagerly displayed his willingness to attack deep.

In team drills, Smith has routinely taken shots downfield whenever he identifies one-on-one coverage on the outside with single-high coverage over the top.

Robby Sabo described it in his report from Tuesday’s practice:

“Geno Smith enjoyed a solid day. He continued his veteran-ish reads of the defense, while licking his chops whenever he reads middle-closed.”

“Seriously, folks: When Geno sees single-high, he does not hesitate to attack the defense outside the numbers. It’s why the likes of AD Mitchell have been so active during the offseason.”

Does this guarantee that Smith will have an excellent season? No.

But it shows us a real tendency in his game, and that’s the type of thing we can expect to carry over from Florham Park to MetLife Stadium.

Look for the Jets to finally take flight offensively this season. How often those passes are completed will remain uncertain, but they’re certainly going to fly.

Playmaking in the defensive secondary

The flip side of Smith’s aggressiveness is a vast quantity of chances for the Jets’ secondary to make plays on the ball. So far, they have seized the opportunity.

Many Jets defensive backs have consistently had their names called for excellent man-to-man coverage at the catch point. Brandon Stephens has been a standout.

We’ve also seen the Jets’ newly added veteran defenders make an impact in the pass game. Minkah Fitzpatrick snagged an interception that was assisted by linebacker Demario Davis getting enough depth in coverage to force Smith to try to squeeze the ball into a tighter window.

Second-year man Azareye’h Thomas has also been consistently showing up.

This is the beauty of having an aggressive veteran quarterback like Smith on the practice field: He maximizes opportunities for players on both sides of the field to get better.

Over the last three years, the Jets progressed through training camp with conservative quarterbacks under center. The aging version of Aaron Rodgers has become one of the most conservative quarterbacks in the league, in terms of release speed and attempt depth. Last year, Justin Fields was a checkdown machine if he wasn’t taking off and running.

With Smith under center, it’s bombs away. That means the receivers and corners both get more chances to sharpen their skills in contested-catch situations.

We’ll see what version of Smith shows up on Sundays, but so far, he’s doing his part to make everyone around him better.