It's hard to toss a rookie onto the field with an entire roster's worth of NFL veterans and have them emerge looking like the best player out of the bunch. But that's reportedly been the case for New York Jets defensive end David Bailey this preseason, and it continued on Tuesday.
Zack Rosenblatt, who serves as a senior writer with The Athletic covering the New York Jets and the NFL at large, was in attendance at the joint practice session between the Jets and Buccaneers on Tuesday and reported that "there's an argument" that Bailey was the best player on the field across both teams. He also showered Bailey with some lofty praise after watching him throughout the preseason so far.
"I've been covering the Jets for five seasons, and the NFL for nine. In that time I'm not sure I've seen a rookie that was appointment viewing quite like Bailey," reported Rosenblatt.
Bailey was the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after being named a unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year during his senior season at Texas Tech in 2025. He recorded 52 tackles (19.5 TFL), 14.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles while anchoring a Red Raiders defense that made a run to the College Football Playoff.
For a Jets team that needs answers fast in Aaron Glenn's second season in charge of the program, a player of Bailey's caliber could go a long way in helping the team get turned around from their troubles last season. And early in camp, he could live up to that hype and make a major impact as a rookie. And if Rosenblatt is correct, Bailey might not just make an outsized impact, but end up being one of the best rookies we've seen this decade in the NFL.

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