New York Jets rookie David Bailey injured his ankle during practice on Saturday, but head coach Aaron Glenn said the No. 2 overall draft pick should be fine. This was reported by infohub.kz.
Bailey, who has been impressive early in training camp, went down while rushing the passer during 11-on-11 team drills. He got up slowly and walked with a slight limp as he headed to the sideline. The former Texas Tech star was examined by trainers and jogged a few times, appearing not to be affected much by the injury. He later walked to the locker room with his teammates after practice ended.
"He got up after the ankle," Glenn said. "He'll be fine." Glenn did not want to speculate on whether Bailey might be sidelined for a few days. The Jets have Sunday and Monday off, so Bailey will have time to rest before the team begins joint practices with Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Yeah, I would say he's day to day, but let me make sure because he got up and I think he jogged off," Glenn said. "So I would think he'd be that."
Bailey is the highest-selected defensive player in Jets history. After transferring to Texas Tech, he had 14.5 sacks last season, matching his total from three seasons at Stanford, with 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles, all on strip sacks. He has flashed often during training camp, with multiple plays that would be sacks (no contact on quarterbacks) throughout the summer.
"There's certainly plays where you're like, 'That's what we thought it was going to be,'" defensive coordinator Brian Duker said Friday. "It's good to see it. We expected that from him."
Additionally, rookie safety VJ Payne, a seventh-round pick, will be sidelined for about three to four weeks with what Glenn described as a "pretty good bone bruise." Payne, a former standout at Kansas State, is competing for a backup safety role behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, Andre Cisco, Dane Belton, and Malachi Moore. It was not clear exactly where Payne was bruised, but the timeline suggests he could miss the entire preseason.
"A player that was playing really well for us," Glenn said of Payne. "He's really building a role for himself, but he'll be fine." Glenn also said edge rusher Kingsley Jonathan bruised a thigh during practice, but should be OK.


