Pass rusher Josh Allen, who is tied for the league-lead in sacks, is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top graded player on PFF through the first four weeks. But just barely.
Only one point behind Allen’s 89.8 grade is Andre Cisco’s 88.8, which lands him fourth among all starting NFL safeties.
Buy Jaguars TicketsNearly a quarter of the way through his third NFL season, Cisco has emerged as well-rounded playmaker in the Jaguars secondary. He’s been a force as a run defender, and he’s already hauled in a pair of interceptions.
“I think his understanding of the overall scheme is better, and he’s catching the ball,” Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said of Cisco on Thursday. “He had opportunities last year and he didn’t come up with those catches, now he’s coming down with them. And he’s a talented player, he has all the skill and a bunch of range back there. You like the way he’s attacking the ball and he will continue to do that.”
The emergence of Cisco as a budding star in the Jacksonville secondary isn’t a total surprise. Caldwell told reporters in August that the 23-year-old safety was “ready to take that next stop” after a pretty solid second NFL season in 2022. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said the football just seems to find Cisco.
It also wasn’t hard to see the evidence of the work put in by Cisco during the offseason. The safety said in May that putting on muscle mass was a main focus of his after the 2022 season.
Cisco is due to become a free agent during the 2025 offseason, but the Jaguars likely won’t let it come to that. It seems they have a cornerstone to build their secondary around in Cisco.
