Jaguars: National outlet names player who could break out at a perfect time
It's no secret the Jacksonville Jaguars have an offense that would scare any opposing defense led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, Trevor Lawrence can't fix the defense, where most of the question marks for the 2023 Jags are located. The team added many defenders through the NFL Draft, although […]
It's no secret the Jacksonville Jaguars have an offense that would scare any opposing defense led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, Trevor Lawrence can't fix the defense, where most of the question marks for the 2023 Jags are located.
The team added many defenders through the NFL Draft, although none in the first three rounds. GM Trent Baalke made no significant signings on that side of the field during free agency, either.
In other words, if the Jaguars' defense is to take a step forward, it'll have to be through players across the roster making a jump in their development. Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness has a promising take about a third-year defender making that leap: Safety Andre Cisco.
In a recent article listing his 10 favorite picks to have a "third-year NFL breakout," McGuinness listed Cisco as the only safety on the list. Only players with no Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors were eligible to be included.
Cisco stepped up into a full-time starting role in his second season in the league after impressing late in his rookie year. His 67.1 PFF grade in 2022 ranked 34th at the position, while his 69.4 PFF coverage grade ranked 28th. He could clean up his tackling a bit, after missing 12.5% of the tackles he attempted last year, but his career looks to be firmly on an upward trajectory heading into year three.
– Gordon McGuinness, PFF.com
Cisco, who finished last season with three interceptions, became the full-time starting free safety for the Jaguars in 2022. After moving around as a rookie with only 247 defensive snaps, that number drastically went up to 992 last year. And he delivered.
The results were promising. With the starting job secured, the Jaguars safety can now look at improving his game to become one of the best-known names across the entire league.
Such a development would come at the perfect time as Cisco enters his third year in the NFL and can force the front office to start thinking about an early contract extension with a strong season. It would also be great timing for a defense that was mostly unable to address a thin secondary.
If Cisco takes such an expected jump and Antonio Johnson turns out to be the steal most NFL Draft analysts believe he was, we could be talking about the Jaguars' defensive backfield in a very different tone during the season.
Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
