Texas Tech Alum David Bailey Posts 3 Sacks in Breakout Week 5 for Jets

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire has received several questions this season about players from his historic 2025 roster.

After typical questions about his top-10-ranked Red Raiders, McGuire is probed about whether he saw the latest highlight or performance of his former players, to which he is prone to smile.

That's not a surprising reaction to what it's like thinking back on having linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, edge rusher David Bailey, and defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard on Texas Tech's conference championship-winning roster.

Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick, just had his best rookie game. The New York Jets defensive end posted three sacks, nine total pressures, and four quarterback hits in the Jets' 17-12 Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns.

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Bailey is the first rookie since 2022 to have three sacks in a game. The last player to do so was James Houston for the Detroit Lions. Houston had 8.0 sacks in his rookie season, and Bailey is well on his way to hitting that total.

Through the first third of the season, Bailey ranks sixth in the entire NFL with five sacks.

Bailey's cool, laid-back nature, which Red Raider Nation found refreshing for a star athlete, has carried into his professional career, even under the bright lights of New York.

Bailey's breakthrough made him the first Jets rookie since 1995 to have three sacks in a game. It's plenty enough to quiet any doubts about the pass rusher's development in his debut season, with his two sacks through four weeks leaving more to be desired.

"I'm not really on social media, so I can't really speak on what was said," Bailey said about the online discourse.

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The win proved valuable for the Jets, who improved to 2-3 on the season thanks to a defensive mindset from coach Aaron Glenn that blitzed Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson regularly.

"[Glenn] made it a point throughout the week that we wanted to make the quarterback uncomfortable," safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "We wanted to smash and run."

In addition to his sacks, Bailey led the team in total pressures, quarterback hurries, and stops. He added a forced fumble, too, for good measure.

Bailey's big day firmly places him in AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year candidacy, but there's a lot of season yet to be played. Rodriguez, who is the Miami Dolphins' starting middle linebacker and leads the NFL in tackles this season, is also among Bailey's top competitors.

That success is significant for the reputation of the Red Raiders as an NFL pipeline under McGuire.