Why Jaguars new protection will assist Andre Cisco develop into certainly one of NFL’s finest safeties

Every year, a brand new crop of gamers rises to the ranks of the elite at their respective positions. Whether or not it’s due to new teaching, being unlocked in a brand new scheme or simply the final continuation of growth and development, new gamers set up their place within the higher echelon of the NFL yearly. Over the subsequent few days, we’ll be highlighting these gamers who’re up subsequent within the NFL hierarchy, and are candidates for a breakout season in 2024.

When defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was employed by the Jacksonville Jaguars within the offseason, there was naturally quite a lot of hype and pleasure. Nielsen was coming off his first season as a coordinator in Atlanta, the place he turned a Falcons’ protection that was downright dreadful in 2022 into a bunch that completed within the high ten of EPA per play allowed, in keeping with Sumer Sports activities. A big a part of that defensive enchancment was the signing and unleashing of security Jessie Bates. Bates grew to become a Professional Bowler below Nielsen, showcasing his vary and talent to make performs on the ball in Nielsen’s protection that requires vary and instincts from their safeties. Performs like this one, the place Bates is lined up on the roof of the protection, sees the bottom dig, and cuts it off for the interception.

Now, I need to ask you: do these two performs look related?

The participant on the underside is Jacksonville Jaguars’ security Andre Cisco, who lastly appeared wholesome final 12 months three years faraway from tearing his ACL in school at Syracuse. Cisco’s NFL profession has been certainly one of a number of ups and downs, from being good in spots moments early in his profession, to City Meyer forgetting who Andre Cisco was:

I’ll by no means forgive you, City.

Now, coming into a contract 12 months with the Jaguars, Cisco is coming off the most effective 12 months of his younger profession and trying to be a defensive centerpiece for the Jaguars. In actual fact, the Jaguars’ EPA per play is healthier with Cisco on the sphere in comparison with when he was off. His vary and talent to put on a number of hats for Jacksonville helped the Jaguars get off to an amazing begin in 2023 earlier than accidents made the wheels fall come off his season.

Now, with Nielsen pulling the strings in Duval, Cisco is primed for use in a Jessie Bates position and thrive.

One of many areas the place Andre Cisco actually stands out is making performs on the ball. He had 4 interceptions final 12 months, and had a considerable amount of performs the place he’s coming off the roof in quarters or flying throughout his half of the sphere to make performs in Cowl 2. His 0.3 Yards per Protection Snap as a deep security in these coverages is tied for eleventh within the NFL, and you could possibly see him get even higher in these schemes all season.

This play is from the primary sport of the season, the place Cisco’s vary and instincts actually present up. The Jaguars are going to make a late rotation to Cowl 2, with a linebacker alleged to be working down the pipe of the protection because the Tampa defender. There’s no person to try this, nevertheless, and it seems like this huge publish goes to go for a giant play, with inside leverage on Rayshawn Jenkins.

Cisco flies throughout his half of the sphere and is ready to get again below this ball to make the interception. This sort of vary and ballhawking capability goes to get quite a lot of play in Nielsen’s protection, which led the NFL in snaps of Cowl 2 Man and had been high ten in Center Subject Open coverages, per Sports activities Info Options.

Cisco additionally confirmed a fast spark off the roof in Quarters protection, driving onerous on dig routes and intermediate ideas over the center to pressure incompletions. Having a security who will be this type of instinctual participant in the midst of the sphere can unlock so many issues for a protection, and unlock tasks from linebackers who can be utilized so as to add on as a blitzer. Towards the Saints, he confirmed that capability to pressure incompletions coming off the roof as New Orleans tried to run a dig in entrance of him. Cisco is all the time looking for the ball, and the 4 interceptions he had in 2023 are a great way to point out the way it pays off.

The place the rubber actually begins to hit the street with Cisco getting used like Jessie Bates in Nielsen’s protection is within the blitz paths and packages each had been used on. Bates and Cisco each had across the similar quantity of cross rush snaps (15 for Cisco, 13 for Bates), however Bates had round a 38.5% stress charge, whereas Cisco topped out at 13.3%. That is the place Nielsen is available in, dialing up pressures that may get Cisco the identical free runs as Bates had on the events he blitzed. This one particularly stands out from Atlanta, as a result of as a substitute of bringing Bates off the sting, he sends him flying proper down the alley of the offense, and it strikes the QB off his spot and forces an incompletion.

Cisco’s stress charge was low for a blitzer, however when he timed his rush appropriately he was capable of get fairly a number of free runs on the QB. With Nielsen coming in to work with the workforce, we must always be capable to see extra of this because the season goes alongside, Cisco being totally unlocked to be a playmaker on this protection.

Cisco has already begun to get observed by scouts and GMs throughout the NFL. In Jeremy Fowler’s high 10 security rankings, Cisco was an honorable point out, with this being stated concerning the fourth-year security: ”He can generate turnovers at an elite degree. He’ll be a 30-plus profession interception man,” an NFC coordinator stated. Coaching camp doesn’t all the time translate to common season success, however by all experiences popping out of Duval Cisco has been excellent in camp.

If the contract 12 months bump is actual, Cisco is on monitor for a monster 12 months at security, and will look to how Ryan Nielsen used Jessie Bates as inspiration.