Rayshawn Jenkins: Jaguars’ Safety Andre Cisco ‘Just Grows Game-In and Game-Out’

The veteran safety has liked what he has seen from Andre Cisco in Year 2.

It may have taken Andre Cisco longer than many thought to become a full-time starter in Jacksonville, but 10 games into his tenure as a starting safety it appears the former third-round pick is turning the corner in a big way.

Cisco only started three games and played 22% of the snaps for the Jaguars' defense as a rookie, but the 2021 No. 65 overall pick entered this year as the unquestioned starter alongside veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins. And through the first half of 2022, Jenkins has liked what he has seen out of his young teammate. 

“It’s great. I love when a young professional comes into the league and like you said, just grows game-in and game-out," Jenkins said this week. 

"Cisco is a guy, like I said, he’s a young professional that just comes in and takes it very seriously. I love to be around guys like that because when I’m out on the field, I know there’s guys out there that have prepared like I have.”

Cisco has put up good numbers for the Jaguars' defense through 10 weeks, recording three interceptions, seven pass-breakups and a pick-six. This includes an interception off Patrick Mahomes and two impressive pass breakups in Week 10 against the Chiefs, which has earned Cisco high praise. Cisco was tabbed by Pro Football Focus as the second-best defender of the entire league in Week 10, 

"Big game, huge game, confidence booster, that’s the game he needed to have, and that’s the game he told us he was going to have," Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen said on Sunday about Cisco's performance. 

Through 10 games, Cisco has shown he can be a playmaker in coverage and an eraser of mistakes. But the next step in his development is about turning it into a weekly occurrence instead of just flashes. When he finds that level of consistency is when he will have truly arrived.

“Yeah, I feel like in this league, it’s all about consistency like I just said. It’s just that the last game was the last game. That’s what you’ve got to learn in this league," Jenkins said. 

"Every week you have to come out and prove yourself every week. It doesn’t matter what I did last game; good game last game, but this game we just have to go have another good game like last game.”