Cody Grimm Breaks Down Jaguars' Safeties, Andre Cisco's Offseason and Rayshawn Jenkins
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in potentially for a big, big change on defense this season.
Not just the new-look personnel in the front-seven or secondary. Not just the new scheme under defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.
Instead, the Jaguars are hoping to be on the right side of turnover luck in 2022 after a year in which no defense forced fewer and no team was more lopsided.
A big part of the Jaguars' efforts to improve upon an NFL-worst nine takeaways from last year will be the development of safety room. The Jaguars dealt with a mix of injuries at safety last year, but now will see their injured veterans return, along with another year of development from young safeties such as Andre Cisco, Daniel Thomas and Andrew Wingard.
"It's nice having the depth that we have. We will have some good competition and that's the best thing about it," Jaguars safeties coach Cody Grimm said at the end of OTA in June.
"These guys will lift each other's game and you can bounce stuff off of them because they've been out there, they have seen it. And when you have guys that have been out there and seen it, if they tell you 'hey, I don't see it that way', you communicate it. "Hey, if you guys see it this way, we can play it this way."
One of the biggest pieces of the Jaguars' safety room and overall defense will be Cisco, last year's No. 65 overall pick out of Syracuse. Cisco only started three games and played 242 defensive snaps (22%), but he thrived in his limited appearances, forcing two fumbles and nearly recording an interception against the New York Jets while collecting 26 tackles and missing just two.
Cisco got first-team reps during spring practices this year, with a starting role now being the natural progression for the former third-round pick. Alongside Wingard, who has started 19 games and picked off three passes in the last two years, Cisco has been one of many young players who has made an impression on the new coaching staff.
"We put a lot, a lot of install. More than I thought we'd be able to get in and execute," Grimm said. "And [Cisco] and Wingard are very, very smart players back there, and they've done a good job. And he [Cisco] been very professional about it. You can tell he's going home and studying. He's takes care of his body and I really like his approach.
Then there is the unquestioned leader of the group: Rayshawn Jenkins. Jenkins started 14 games for the Jaguars last year after signing a four-year, $35 million contract with $16 million guaranteed in March. He recorded 73 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three pass deflections in his first season with the team.
The 2017 draftee and former Los Angeles Charger started 31 games between 2019-2020 and recorded five interceptions, eight pass deflections, 138 tackles, and six interceptions.
Jenkins is the most experienced and productive member of the safety room and was one of the Jaguars' priority targets just a year ago. Now, Grimm and the Jaguars are expecting his experience to continue to shine as a leader not just in the safety room, but on the entire defense.
"I think the guys look up to Ray, he's a little bit older now, and he's made a lot of plays in this league, and he's a good player," Grimm said.
"So the guys look up to him, but I feel like we got a good group of guys. Bringing in Darius Williams. I mean, he's won a Super Bowl, and is a good player. We got some guys in the room that had a lot of success. So we just got to get them playing together and limit the mistakes and get everyone on the same page and we'll be alright."
