Jacksonville Jaguars allowing second-year S Andre Cisco to be himself

Safety Andre Cisco is slated to have a bigger role for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 after hardly seeing the field as a rookie. The second-year pro met with the local media on Day 11 of training camp and touched on several topics including the hit he laid on running back Travis Etienne in practice and his growth since the end of the 2021 season.

Cisco says he didn’t think he tackled Etienne that hard until his teammates reacted to it. He goes on to say that he’s “letting his mentality grow and becoming a leader” is what he’s striving for ahead of Year 2. The former Syracuse Orangeman notes that he’s settling into the kind of football player he wants to be and credits the current coaching staff for letting him be himself.

"It’s kind of just like becoming myself. Coaches that allow you to be yourself they embrace you just being yourself and your personality on the field. And the guys are starting to understand the type of person. I like to have fun on the field, I like to joke on the sideline but I’m all about business."

Later in the exchange with the media, Cisco says it was kind of frustrating not to get much playing time during his rookie campaign after missing most of the 2020 college season with a torn ACL. However, he understands that “it’s all part of the process”.

The Jaguars are finally taking the right approach with Andre Cisco

Cisco started the last three games of the 2021 season but was relegated to special teams for most of the year. He could have benefitted from getting playing time but the previous regime seemed to have favored Andrew Wingard. The current coaching staff has taken a different approach and has had Cisco practice with the first team throughout training camp. It seems to be paying off, as safety has been all over the field.

On the other hand, it’s telling that Cisco told the media that coaches are allowing him to be himself. In his short stint at the helm, Urban Meyer proved he didn’t have the emotional intelligence to coach football players and often resorted to putting them down instead of putting them in a position to succeed.

Looking back, it’s possible that the environment Meyer fostered hindered Cisco’s growth as a rookie. On the bright side, there’s a new regime in Jacksonville, one that is making a legitimate effort to maximize its players’ potential.

Cisco showed flashes as a rookie and given his growth since the end of the 2021 season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him become a ballhawk for the Jaguars in Year 2.