Jets still waiting for David Baileys pass-rushing potential to take off

In April, David Bailey could only imagine one thing better than being taken with the No.2 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

In October, hundreds of other rookies are happy not to have every snap take place under a spotlight.  Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.This is just the beginning.

This is how it will be for as long as Bailey wears green and white. “I’m not really too worried about expectations,” Bailey said following Friday’s practice.“I’m just more worried about how I can help the team identify my areas of strengths that I can use to help put the team in the best position possible. “I’ve been having fun out there, just trying to work to improve each and every week on what I can control, trying to understand the defense a little bit better, understand what my coaches and my teammates want from me.” The rookie has largely spent the first month of his pro career in a shade of gray — neither explosive nor invisible. Bailey made two underwhelming sacks in his first two games — the result of a pair of quarterback scrambles in his direction — but he hasn’t produced one since the first play of the Week 2 loss to the Packers.

The 23-year-old has 11 quarterback pressures — making him the co-leader among all rookies — but he is also coming off a quiet game in Chicago in which he had just one pressure. “It’s definitely different because of the level of competition,” said Bailey, who was the FBS co-leader with 14.5 sacks at Texas Tech last year.“There’s a lot of factors to take into [account], the level of competition, new defense, I’m working with new [defensive] tackles, new [defensive backs], so obviously you’ve gotta take that into account.

At the end of the day, it’s just football, so I think that this is what I’ve been doing so I still feel comfortable out there.” Bailey — who has been chipped or double-teamed on roughly o...