David Bailey is showing the NFL world where he stands—not just among rookies, but across the entire league.
As reported by the league, Bailey was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 5.
In a dominant all-around performance, Bailey picked up seven total tackles throughout the Jets’ 17-12 win over the previously 3-1 Cleveland Browns, three of those being sacks. His other four tackles were also impactful, with two being thwarted screens for paltry gains and two being short stops against the run.
It is also a near-lock that Bailey will win Pepsi Defensive Rookie of the Week honors; as of this writing, he has received 62.7% of fan votes, well ahead of second-ranked Jalon Daniels (16.8%).
After his breakout performance, Bailey has surpassed Arvell Reese of the New York Giants as the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Bailey leads the rookie class in sacks (5.0) and total pressures (20), per Pro Football Focus, with no other rookie within five pressures of him. He has also been surprisingly active against the run, leading rookie edge rushers with 14 solo tackles in that phase, six more than the closest player.
The primary goal for Bailey throughout the remainder of his rookie season is to sharpen his consistency at winning one-on-one pass-rush reps. Through Week 4, he had a pass-rush win rate of 5.4%, ranking 85th out of 90 qualified edge rushers, per PFF. In Week 5, though, he nearly tripled that mark to a career-high 13.8%.
Things are looking up for the highest drafted defensive player in Jets history.
