Jets' David Bailey Mystery Adds One More Wrinkle Just Before Draft

David Bailey doesn't seem put off by the New York Jets' cancelling his top 30 meeting | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey is a wild card right now in rumors leading into the 2026 NFL draft. It's unclear what the true reasoning is behind the Jets' recent cancellation of a top-30 meeting after New York GM Darren Mougey didn't explain much at all when asked about the change in plans.

Meanwhile, Bailey -- after confusing Mougey with Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort in comments on Wednesday -- claimed that the cancelled meeting didn't change anything, not after seemingly successful previous virtual meetings.

"It's been good, man. They canceled my 30 visit, so I wasn't able to get around the facility, but I had a great interaction with them at the combine and FaceTime calls," Bailey said. "Uh, I talked to Monti... uh, Mougey... and, uh, the whole staff, man. It was a good conversation. They seem like they really like me."

When juxtaposed with Ohio State Buckeyes EDGE Arvell Reese enthusiastically talking up his meeting with Aaron Glenn, it appears like a slam dunk that Bailey isn't bound for the Big Apple. Then again, Mougey admitted that his team will offer mis-directions during draft season.

Jets' misdirection on No. 2 pick has succeeded, but what's the payoff?

Mougey's plan to have the rest of the league on their toes heading into the draft has worked out swimmingly. NFL draft expert Todd McShay has changed his prediction multiple times over the past week, thinking it was Bailey before switching to Reese, before once again switching back to Bailey the day before the first round of the 2026 draft.

McShay can't seem to decide if the Jets are prioritizing moldable youth over proven experience. Bailey is the "safe" pick as someone who could probably get more snaps immediately, but is that really safety for Mougey if Reese turns out to be a generational hit for the team he falls to? Mougey's been tearing Gang Green down to the studs over the past year since taking over, but isn't the payoff supposed to be for game-changers like Reese?

Mougey doesn't have forever to begin turning this ship around. Year one was a worst-case scenario, with coaching hires for Glenn's first staff mostly misfiring and both sides of the ball performing historically bad.

Making the Reese pick may buy Mougey more time. And it may pay off down the line. The Jets' clean slate right now should empower them to make the riskier choice, especially since it's a guy coming from a school that's developing elite talent on both sides of the ball.

That's not even to mention he had a 20-year NFL veteran head coach, Matt Patricia, overseeing his junior year. Jim Knowles, Reese's defensive coordinator for his first two years with the Buckeyes, also had a notoriously complex system that Reese grasped enough to receive over 300 snaps during a championship 2024 season.

Despite his framing as someone who could burn the franchise, there's also reasons he could lift this defense as a whole, too.

Regardless, Bailey's comments on Wednesday show that he's not put off by the cancelled visit, putting him in squarely in the mix for this massive decision that may go down to the wire.