No NFL team is counting on its rookie class in 2026 more than the New York Jets.

For that reason, all eyes have been on New York’s rookies throughout the first two weeks of the preseason. Any sort of flashes from the Jets’ first-year players can inspire optimism that the newcomers will be ready to make an impact in Year 1.

During Friday night’s exhibition win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, three Jets rookies appeared to take noticeable leaps toward carving out valuable roles for New York in 2026.

EDGE David Bailey

After a ho-hum debut, second-overall pick David Bailey announced his arrival in Pittsburgh. Five pass-rush snaps were all Bailey needed to make a dominant play, as he quickly beat former first-round pick Broderick Jones around the corner for a sack on Will Howard.

There are still some warts in Bailey’s run defense and all-around fundamentals, but the 22-year-old has plenty of time to iron those out. What matters most is this: he continues to prove that his ceiling justifies the second overall choice. He’s been showing it in training camp, and on Friday, he translated it to a real game for the first time.

Bailey is in the right place to develop the finer points of his game. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is among the most respected teachers in the league at that position, while New York’s defensive line room features plenty of accomplished veterans with strong fundamentals.

The weaknesses in Bailey’s game can be taught. His strengths cannot.

WR Omar Cooper Jr.

There was some hullabaloo in the tri-state area when Isaiah Williams started over Omar Cooper Jr. in the preseason opener. In Week 2, though, Cooper got the start in the slot over Williams. He played with the first-team offense throughout its opening touchdown drive and then continued with the second-team group.

It wasn’t an eventful day for the first-round pick, who caught his only target for 9 yards. However, it’s noteworthy that the coaching staff promoted Cooper to the starting lineup.

Cooper hasn’t been a noisemaker in camp or the preseason, but there has been little talk of him struggling, either, whether it’s regarding drops, route-running, or the playbook. For a late first-round pick, his trajectory has appeared quite normal so far. His promotion to the starting lineup in Week 2 is a continuation of that arc.

G Anez Cooper

Sixth-round rookie guard Anez Cooper stole the show in the Jets’ preseason opener.

Entering the game in the second half with the third-string offensive line, Cooper wrecked the Buccaneers’ reserve defensive line, putting forth one of the NFL’s best performances among guards in Week 1 of the preseason. The Miami product looked sound in both pass protection and the run game.

In Pittsburgh, the Jets promoted Cooper to the second-string offensive line. He entered the game at right guard on the Jets’ second drive, once the starters were replaced by the backups.

Pro Football Focus wasn’t as fond of Cooper’s performance in this one, scoring him with a 52.5 overall grade after his dazzling 90.9 outing in the opener. Regardless, it is meaningful that the Jets thought highly enough of Cooper’s development to promote him to the backup right guard spot.

Even if Cooper was less consistent this week, his rise up the depth chart shows that the coaching staff is gaining confidence in him as a backup option. That is an important development for a Jets team sorely lacking in talent, experience, and upside along their backup interior offensive line.

Cooper is the Jets’ only realistic hope at providing competent backup-level play among the backup interior linemen on the roster. The rest of the unit comprises undrafted rookies and inexperienced, unproductive journeymen.

If Cooper proves ready to play like an average backup guard as a rookie, that would be a significant win for a sixth-round pick. It could even save the Jets’ offensive line from a scenario in which a single injury is enough to sink the entire unit.