Praise is rolling in for the Jacksonville Jaguars defense after a shutout victory over the Indianapolis Colts, but Pro Football Focus isn’t impressed with the team’s starting safeties, Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco.
In a post ranking the best secondaries in the NFL through two weeks, the Jaguars came in 26th, despite having a duo of cornerbacks that PFF called “excellent.”
“It’s the play of the safeties holding this defense back,” the post reads. “Andre Cisco continues to be too hit-or-miss, and Rayshawn Jenkins is just not good enough to be a full-time starter. If the Jaguars can improve their safety play, they could rise up this list dramatically throughout the season.”
The criticism for Jenkins and Cisco comes after both players intercepted Colts quarterback Matt Ryan on Sunday.
Jenkins, 28, played four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers before joining the Jaguars on a four-year, $35 million deal in 2021. A month later, the Jaguars picked Cisco in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
While the safety duo isn’t getting much love, much of the rest of the Jaguars defense is being applauded for its work through the first two games. Laurie Fitzpatrick of Touchdown Wire broke down the stellar play of the Jaguars defensive line, Doug Farrar listed Roy Robertson-Harris as a “Secret Superstar” of Week 2, and linebacker Devin Lloyd was PFF’s highest graded rookie of the week.