The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a good job of locking up their young talent. Last year, they gave extensions to Trevor Lawrence, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, cornerback Tyson Campbell, and left tackle Walker Little. Due to their proactivity, the Jags don't have many big decisions left in the offseason. That said, they'll need to decide what to do with safety Andre Cisco, who's set to hit the open market. Pro Football Focus has an intriguing suggestion in case they let him walk.
Bradley Locker of PFF drew up a list of one player each NFL team must target in free agency. For the Jags [subscription required], he picked Minnesota Vikings safety Cam Bynum, noting that he would be an appealing replacement for Cisco even though he's coming off a somewhat down year. Here's the skinny.
"Bynum has been a bit worse in 2024, with a 63.0 PFF overall grade and a 59.6 PFF coverage grade, but he was excellent a year ago in both coverage and as a run defender. The 26-year-old is also more of a traditional center fielder, playing 65.2% of his career snaps with the Vikings as a true free safety. He would serve as a nice complement to Darnell Savage, who has moved around more throughout his career."
Expected to have a breakout year in 2024, Cisco instead was inconsistent. A third-round pick in 2021, the former Syracuse Orangeman spent most of his rookie season on the bench but logged a combined seven interceptions and 15 passes defensed from 2022-2023.
Cisco is now slated to become a free agent, and it's uncertain if the Jaguars want him back. There will be a new coach in place, and there's a chance Jacksonville will move on from general manager Trent Baalke. These two factors could affect his chances of potentially re-signing in 2024.
On the other hand, Bynum was a fourth-round pick in 2021 who became a full-time starter for the Vikes in 2022. He's tallied five interceptions and 19 passes defensed this past year. And in case you missed it, he went viral when the Vikings played Jacksonville last season because he imitated the infamous Olympian Raygun during a celebration following an interception.
The case for and against the Jaguars replacing Andre Cisco with Cam Bynum
Andre Cisco is coming off a down season. While he deserves to shoulder some of the blame, it's important to point out that defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen did a dreadful job with his unit in 2024. This is to say that his struggles must be put in context. Who's to say he won't bounce back next season with better coaching? Given that his stock took a hit, the Jaguars could sign him at a discount rate or give him a one-year, prove-it deal.
But if the Jaguars let Cisco walk, Cam Bynum would be a legitimate replacement, who was arguably better last year. He may not be a ballhawk in the mold of his Jaguars counterpart, but he's most definitely come through for the Vikings.
The only issue with making a run for Bynum in free agency is that there will probably be a high demand for his services and may want top-market compensation. The top 5 safeties average more than $15 million. The Vikings stud will surely want to get to that threshold. It will be up to Jacksonville to decide whether it wants to make that kind of investment at the position.
Ultimately, keeping Andre Cisco makes sense, but the Jaguars can't go wrong with Cam Bynum, even if it's potentially more expensive than going with the devil they know.