Biggest Overreaction from Jets Minicamp: David Bailey's Quiet Offseason Workouts

New York Jets edge David Bailey (31) warms up during minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

Sometimes the excitement and build-up to a new season is a bit overblown due to offseason workouts. Expectations are always higher at this time of year for teams around the league and young players as well.

Case in point, New York Jets' second overall pick David Bailey.

The top edge rusher of the 2026 draft class led all of college football in tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (14) while leading Texas Tech through the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. Bailey was more than deserving of being the second overall pick by the Jets, who desperately needed a star player to aid their defense.

But as offseason workouts continued, questions began to rise about Bailey's true effectiveness as a player during his rookie campaign.

And while the young edge rusher still has plenty left to prove, some of the concern surrounding Bailey has been nothing more than an offseason overreaction.

Breaking down the overreaction to Bailey's OTAs, minicamp performances

One question asked by many Jets fans over the last month has been about Bailey, specifically, how he's looked without any splash plays made to his credit.

This is the first part of the overreaction.

Thanks to collective bargaining agreements, there are no pads, and only a certain level of physicality is allowed during offseason workouts. No longer are players wanting to dominate during workouts. OTAs and minicamp are all about giving as much information as possible to players and letting them get acclimated before training camp - when the pads actually come on.

Bailey being quiet during offseason workouts is not concerning or a sign of being potentially overwhelmed in his new home with the Jets. It's simply a young player learning the defensive scheme and waiting for the opportunity to show what he can do when reps actually matter.

Then there's the other side to the Bailey overreaction.

Throughout the pre-draft process, the Texas Tech product was seen as a player who struggled to stop the run. But while the tape showed a player who seemed to miss that part of his game, the Jets never were concerned about it. In their mind, run defense at the edge rusher position had more to do with coaching than anything else.

There are a lot of guys who weren't asked to play the run, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "We're teaching him how to play the run because you got to earn the right to rush the passer. If you don't stop the run, they are not going to throw the ball, so we're going to teach him and everybody else.

The biggest overreaction facing the Jets right now centers around the perception of what their second overall pick should look like in June. In reality, what makes Bailey such an intriguing prospect (his first step, physicality, and motor) are not things that pop off in practice sessions as light as offseason workouts usually are.

Once the pads come on, the true assessment of Bailey can begin.

And the Jets may finally have the kind of defensive weapon they have desperately needed.