What happened: New York Jets first-round pick David Bailey (No. 2 overall) holds a five-pressure lead atop PFF's 2026 rookie leaderboard at 26 after he previously paced the rookie class with 20 pressures on Oct. 14. Green Bay Packers fourth-rounder Dani Dennis-Sutton ranks fourth with 15 pressures, while Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Cashius Howell and Detroit Lions sixth-rounder Skyler Gill-Howard tie for fifth at 13.

Why it matters: Five of the top six rookie pass rushers in PFF's tracking were drafted after the opening round in 2026, led by second-rounders R Mason Thomas (40th overall, Kansas City Chiefs), Howell (41st, Bengals) and Gabe Jacas (55th, New England Patriots). Former Texas Tech teammates bookend the top six with Bailey and Gill-Howard (205th overall), while Howell has added two pressures since leading all rookies with 11 on Oct. 1. Bailey has compiled his league-leading rookie mark for a 2-5 Jets team that sits at the No. 11 seed on a two-game losing streak following a 28-25 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 25.

What to watch: Bailey is listed as questionable on the New York Jets' injury report entering Week 9 of the 2026 regular season. Any missed snaps for the rookie leader would leave Jacas and Thomas positioned to narrow the five-pressure margin.