Jaguars’ 4 easiest roster decisions for the defense this offseason

No. 4 roster decision the Jaguars must make – Make Andre Cisco the starter.

Safety Andre Cisco probably slid in the 2021 NFL Draft due to health red flags but the Jags believed the positives outweighed the negatives and took a flyer on him in the third round. Looking back, the decision has the potential to pay off big dividends.

Before the season started Andrew Wingard was named the starter opposite Rayshawn Jenkins. Even though defensive coordinator Joe Cullen said Cisco would get plenty of snaps, he didn’t. In fact, he progressively got less playing time as the season went on and was at one point relegated to special teams. In one of the biggest blunders of his short stint in Jacksonville, then-head coach Urban Meyer said the former Syracuse Orangeman got some snaps against the Tennesse Titans in Week 14 even though he had gotten none.

Once Meyer was fired and Wingard landed on the COVID-19/Reserve, Cisco was given a chance to show what he could do on the football field. Although he didn’t play at an All-Pro level, he showed flashes of the speed and range that made him a ballhawk at Syracuse. While it looks like forever, it’s worth noting that the safety logged 13 interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 24 games for the Orangemen back in college.

Moving forward, the Jaguars can’t keep Cisco and the bench and need to find to give him a realistic shot to earn a starting job in 2021. He’s managed to stay healthy and showed potential in three starts last season. He deserves a chance to make his mark in Jacksonville’s secondary.