When will Jaguars safety Andre Cisco see the field?

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2021 offseason with several roster needs. The most glaring one was quarterback but the consensus was that they would draft Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in this year’s draft (spoiler alert, they did). Another position in need of an upgrade was safety. Thus, the Jags signed Rayshawn Jenkins and Rudy Ford in the offseason. Furthermore, the team’s brass used a third-round pick on Andre Cisco. Although the positional group is far from a strength, it’s in better shape than it was in 2021.

The Jaguars recently announced Cisco has signed his rookie deal, which is the standard four-year pact. Now that the former Orange is officially part of the team, nothing is stopping him from making an impact, so when will he make his first start? Jenkins and Jarrod Wilson will most likely be the starter in Week 1 of the regular season.

Daniel Thomas has been making plays in Jacksonville’s organized team activities. Last season, he worked his way up the starting lineup and showed promise before an arm injury prematurely ended his rookie campaign. Meanwhile, Andrew Wingard has progressively earned more playing time the last two seasons. While the Wyoming product won’t have a prominent role on defense, Cisco will still have to beat him if he wants to see the field.

Then, there’s Ford, whose main role could be on special teams. During his four-year tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles, he never played more than six percent of the team’s total snaps on defense and started just two games.

Can Andre Cisco start for the Jacksonville Jaguars in his rookie year?

Cisco dealt with injuries throughout his collegiate career and missed 11 games over the last two seasons. So far, he has had no setbacks, so his only focus should be on having an impact on the football field. In 24 games at Syracuse, he registered 13 interceptions and 14 passes defensed. It’s clear he can make plays. On the other hand, he needs to work on his tackling skills and play with more discipline. If he can fix those issues, he will move up the depth chart. For the time being though, Wilson and Jenkins are the starters.

Cisco is part of the Jaguars’ long-term plans. However, he has work to do before he can join the starting lineup, so don’t expect him to start early in the season. Things should change down the road, and a Week 6 or 7 debut seems reasonable.