Andre Cisco keeping focus on bigger Jets picture in safety battle with Dane Belton

Andre Cisco isn’t focused on the ongoing competition at safety.  Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.Of course, deep down he would love to beat out Dane Belton to get the nod alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick in the Jets’ defensive backfield. That, however, isn’t of utmost importance to the veteran defensive back. His concern is much simpler. “Finding a role within the team is more important than beating somebody out,” Cisco said after the final training camp practice of the summer Tuesday.

“We’re all on the same team.I want to solidify a role so I can contribute.”The Valley Stream native’s first season back with his hometown Jets didn’t go as planned.

After starting the first eight games of the season, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.Free agency went slowly.

He wound up re-signing with the Jets in March and has been battling with Belton to start at one of the safety spots. He’s just thrilled to have this chance. “I look back to what was just maybe nine months ago: I’m coming off the field, injured off a one-year deal, not sure what my next year is going to look like,” he said.“So for myself, being back in the building, back on the team and in a competition to start in the NFL, I’m not going to lose sight of how grateful I have to be to be in that.” For now, the competition has yet to reveal a winner, according to defensive coordinator Brian Duker.

He doesn’t see much of a skill set discrepancy between the two.They can play in the box as well as serve in the deep safety role like a center fielder. A major key for the Jets secondary this year is taking the ball away, after Gang Green became the first team to fail to record an interception across a full season.

That was a big part of Cisco’s game earlier in his career — he had a combined seven interceptions in 2022-23.So it was significant that he came up with an interception...