New York Jets fans can all breathe a sigh of relief — at least for now. No. 2 overall pick David Bailey is officially on the board.
On the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second offensive drive, the Jets’ pass-rushing rookie notched his first career preseason NFL sack.
After Geno Smith engineered a beautiful opening drive that led to a Jelani Woods touchdown, the Jets’ defense forced a three-and-out. The drive that Bailey stomped out followed Cade Klubnik’s first turn of the night, which didn’t result in points.
What football coaches will first note about the sack is Bailey’s efficient and hard-fought angle en route to the quarterback. It was a third-and-8, yet he remained on his responsible path and fought through with discipline.
Granted, Will Howard did the absolute worst thing a quarterback could do in this situation — hesitate and drift backward — but the kind of efficient quickness Bailey showed helps force that kind of quarterback error.
Aaron Glenn began rotating his edge defenders on the ensuing defensive possession. Will McDonald and Kingsley Enagbare started the drive, but Bailey was later inserted as the Steelers encroached on the red zone.
Despite a nice-looking Pittsburgh drive, it ended in disaster. Free safety Andre Cisco drove down on a crossing route to come up with the interception.
It’s been a tough go for Howard on Friday night, whereas the Jets are feeling pretty good about themselves. How long Glenn sticks with his starters remains to be seen. Some, such as Geno Smith and Garrett Wilson, have already been pulled.
New York currently leads the game, 7-0, with 6:47 remaining in the first half.
