Detroit Lions finally make a trade before the NFL deadline, acquiring a former starting safety at a surprisingly low price
The Lions are acquiring veteran safety Andre Cisco from the Jets for a 2028 sixth-round pick. The move gives Detroit another option in the secondary, but also raises questions about Kerby Joseph’s return.
It finally happened. The Detroit Lions made a trade. It’s not a blockbuster, but it’s a good move for a defense that needs some help on the back end.
The Lions are acquiring safety Andre Cisco from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round pick. Cisco has been a starter for both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jets during his career and has made multiple starts for New York this season. That’s an incredibly cheap price for a player with his résumé.
What Andre Cisco brings to the Lions
Cisco gives Detroit something it has been missing with Kerby Joseph out: a true free safety who can play deep and make plays on the football.
He had eight interceptions during his time with the Jaguars from 2022 to 2024. Things haven’t gone nearly as well for him with the Jets, but that ability to create turnovers is still there. He can patrol the back end, read the quarterback’s eyes, and take advantage of mistakes.
That’s what the Lions have lacked without Joseph. It also gives defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard another option in how he wants to deploy his secondary.
With Brian Branch working his way back and the Lions relying on guys like Chuck Clark and Christian Izien, the fit is pretty clear. Cisco gives Detroit a more natural option to play deep, which lets the other safeties work closer to the line of scrimmage. He can come in and start, or he can rotate in with Clark.
The risk with Cisco
The big question is which version of Cisco the Lions are getting.
He hasn’t recorded an interception since leaving Jacksonville. The Jets actually benched him after their Week 3 loss to Detroit this season. He’s also coming off a 2025 season that ended early because of a torn pectoral muscle.
So there’s some risk here. He’s not going to replace everything Joseph brings to the defense. But if the Lions can get him playing anywhere close to the level he reached in Jacksonville, this could wind up being a really nice addition.
The good thing is Cisco is only 26 years old. He’s still a young player, and this is essentially a one-year move that costs Detroit almost nothing. If it doesn’t work out, the Lions can simply decline to re-sign him at the end of the season and move on.
What does this mean for Kerby Joseph?
This is where the trade gets more intriguing.
I’ve been saying for weeks that the Lions didn’t need to make a trade at safety. To be fair, this wasn’t a huge trade. Detroit didn’t give away much of anything.
Still, it makes you wonder about Joseph. He’s working his way back, but we don’t know when that return is going to happen. Does this move mean the Lions think Joseph isn’t ready to come back?
If that’s the case, we could find out as early as this week. For now, Cisco is coming to Detroit. We’ll see where it goes.
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