CBS provides injury update on Rutgers DL Wesley Bailey after being helped off field

Rutgers fans witnessed a concerning development on Sunday when the team’s 2022 leader in sacks went down during the season-opener vs. Northwestern.

Wesley Bailey laid on the ground long after a play ended in the second quarter when Northwestern had the ball. Trainers eventually came over to treat Bailey and he did walk off but needed some help doing so.

A few minutes after he went down, CBS reporter Tiffany Blackmon offered an update on the broadcast. She noted that Bailey was having his left leg worked on and had trouble moving around on the sidelines.

Here was that report:

“Guys, I saw Wesley Bailey. He went into the tent, and when he came out, he was trying to move around. I was watching the athletic trainers really work on that left leg. He kept touching the back area of that left leg. He tried to jog on it, couldn’t really move that well and sat back down on the bench.”

Well, that’s not news you love to hear. Per the broadcast, this Bailey injury certainly seems to be lingering and he remains out of the game for the time being.

Bailey Background

Bailey was one of the spotlight returners on a Rutgers defense that was looking to take a leap in year four under Greg Schiano. The unit got back eight of its starters from 2022, including the brunt of the front seven.

Highlighting that group is the three leading Scarlet Knight sack-getters from last fall: Bailey (3.5 sacks), Tyreem Powell (3.0 sacks) and Mayan Ahanotu (2.0 sacks). Plus, leading 2022 tackler and linebacker Deion Jennings is back as well. That front is scary.

In two quarters vs. Northwestern, they look the part of an improved defense. Sure, you’ve got to take the performance with a grain of salt since the Wildcats went 1-11 last year and then had a hazing scandal rip their team and coaching staff apart just weeks before kickoff — so it’s not a program that’s firing on al cylinders.

But the defense was perfect nonetheless in half No. 1 of the season. In front of a national TV audience on CBS, the Scarlet Knights pitched a shutout for 30 minutes and even stopped a fake punt attempt by NW.

If Rutgers wants to achieve their first winning season in the last 10, defense like they’re playing vs. Northwestern could be the key. That and more dynamic performances from quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who seems to be putting it all together in year three.