Will Jets rookie David Bailey’s ascent continue vs. Patriots, Drake Maye? ‘You guys tell me’

By Jori Epstein — In News — October 15, 2026

   ​EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In the aftermath of the New York Jets’ Sunday win over the Cleveland Browns, head coach Aaron Glenn was asked about his rookie pass rusher.What did Glenn think of the 2026 second overall pick’s performance?”You guys tell me,” Glenn said, knowing there was little up for debate.Bailey at rushed from the left and from the right, bull-rushing his way to quarterback Deshaun Watson on some plays and spinning out of attempted blockers on others. The result: nine pressures, five quick pressures and a 32.1% pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats. Bailey’s three sacks tied a 1995 record for the most in a game by a Jets rookie since sacks were tracked in 1982. His five sacks this season are tied for fourth in the NFL and first among rookies.”Just relentless,” Glenn told reporters on Monday. “The same things you really saw from him coming out of college. His ability to bend the edge, his ability to dip, lean, use power in that lean and be able to rip up and be able to go make plays on the quarterback. His ability to make a move and then rush with power also. The other things that really showed up in the game was his ability to play the run, and I think that’s one thing that he’s not getting enough credit for…”He just had an all-around game as far as affecting the quarterback and playing the run.” The Jets and Bailey now turn their attention to a road division game against a quarterback who narrowly lost the MVP race last year to Matthew Stafford. The Jets face New England Patriots QB Drake Maye right after he torched the Las Vegas Raiders for 374 yards and four touchdowns passing in addition to 25 yards and a touchdown rushing. Maye completed a season-high 76.5% of his passes vs. the Raiders.Can Bailey and Co. stem that tide, or even force some of the turnovers that characterized Maye’s first three games this season?Glenn’s advice to the Jets about defending a flight-risk Watson apply to the also extremely mobile Maye.Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for the 2026-27 NBA season”Listen, I’ll sit there and be lying to our guys [if I] say that he wasn’t going to make a play,” Glenn said. “At some point, he’s going to get out. That’s what just good players do. But I think the guys respect that I don’t BS them and tell them, listen, he’s going to get out every now and then, but the thing is we got to make sure that we trap him inside. And if we can trap him inside, there’s a chance that we’re going to be able to make some plays. …”If we could just limit his chance of getting out, I think we’ll create some success for ourselves on defense.”Bailey was disruptive from both sides vs. BrownsIn four prior career games against the Jets, Maye has completed 73.9% of his pass attempts for 582 yards and six touchdowns, rushing also for 82 yards and a score.The Jets drafted Bailey to help turn the tides in just such games.A one-year edge rusher at Texas Tech after three seasons at Stanford, Bailey’s first-step quickness and explosive  

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