Like many native New Yorkers, Andre Cisco doesn’t sugarcoat the truth.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn sees leadership qualities in the free agent acquisition Cisco, who made news last season when he called out his then-Jaguars teammates for quitting in a Week 6 loss to the Bears to drop to a 1-5 record.
“You watch how he operates with his teammates, you could tell that he’s a true team guy,” Glenn said Wednesday. “And I think that’s only going to get better once we continue to coach him, and once he understands the dynamics of everything that we’ve got going on.”
Cisco signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the team that he grew up rooting for while he was raised on Long Island.
It’s a shorter deal than most given to quality free agents his age, but the 25-year-old safety saw a perfect alignment of factors.
“Interest in coming back home, being part of something great with Aaron Glenn at the helm and his history of defense,” Cisco said. “Being that this [Jets] defense has been great for the past few years, it was a no-brainer.”
After collecting eight interceptions and three forced fumbles in Jacksonville, Cisco said he has made a “seamless” transition back home.
Glenn cited Cisco’s ball production back to his Syracuse days as an asset.
“For me, it’s really not about leading with words, first of all. Just actions,” Cisco said. “I think one of the things that happens with football and everything in general is just first-day enthusiasm, and then it kind of dies down after that. I try to emphasize being that kind of guy every day. So that’s kind of what I lead with.
“In terms of calling guys out, that’s not my style all the time. I try to be more one-on-one, but sometimes emotions run high. That’s kind of what happened there.”
It doesn’t sound like the high-intensity Glenn will mind.
Edge rusher Will McDonald has gained 15 pounds, “which is very good for him because it allows him to be able to set the edge a lot better,” Glenn said.
The 6-foot-4 McDonald should be up to about 250 pounds now.
His strength limitations minimized his snap count as a first-round rookie in 2022, but he broke out with 10.5 sacks last season because of his speed.
“We never want to take that away from him. That’s his superpower,” Glenn said. “But I think he understands, for him to be able to max everything out of his potential, he needs to get stronger, he needs to get bigger.”
The Jets had 100 percent attendance at their first voluntary OTA practice, Glenn said. There were no notable absences Wednesday at their second.
“These men want to win,” Glenn said. “These men want to work.”
Josh Myers, who started 56 games at center for the Packers over the past four years, has impressed new teammate John Simpson.
“He’s one of those guys you can just draw something up for him and he can figure it out,” the left guard said. “Same goes for Tip [Joe Tippman]. Those guys are battling their a– off right now, just competing.”
