New York Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey, the second overall pick in the April draft, is quickly making his presence felt in training camp, even drawing a playful complaint from offensive tackle Armand Membou.
"It's been a pain, man," Membou said Monday after the team's first padded practice. "He's a great player. He's just smooth, he's quick, he's got a natural ability to rush the passer. It's been a good matchup going against him."
Membou noted Bailey's ability to threaten tackles with his speed off the edge and follow up with power. Bailey registered 14.5 sacks at Texas Tech last season, and the Jets hope he can bolster a pass rush that ranked 31st in the league with 26 sacks a year ago.
In other camp news, rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq received a day off Monday after participating in the first three practices. Sadiq is recovering from a hernia operation in May. Head coach Aaron Glenn stated that defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (hamstring), defensive end Joseph Ossai (undisclosed), and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds (calf) are not expected to return to practice this week but are not anticipated to miss significant time.
"We want to be very careful with all three of those guys," Glenn said. "Listen, we have a role for all three of them. … I don't think they'll be out too much longer, but we want to do the right thing and make sure we have those guys ready for the regular season."
Glenn expressed satisfaction with the competitive intensity of the first padded practice. "I thought the competitive nature was right where we wanted it to be," he said. "I think our guys are really understanding exactly how we want to practice."