We shouldn't expect Andre Cisco to swoop in for the Detroit Lions right away ahead of Week 10.
With the team traveling to Munich on Thursday, and Joseph already having been ruled out for the contest against the New England Patriots, some fans might be wondering if Cisco would be able to step in as a backup to Chuck Clark and Brian Branch right away. Well, while Cisco hasn't been injured prior to this trade, it's unlikely we see him play for the Lions this week.
As Cisco hadn't had his bye week with the New York Jets prior to this trade, it'd make sense for Detroit to give him this week off before plugging him into their defense for their Week 11 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Lions can't lean on Cisco in Joseph's absence (yet)
Cisco is coming off a fairly OK start to the year with the Jets. Lions fans might remember the thundering sack he had on Jared Goff in their meeting earlier this season. He has the ability to rush the quarterback, but also act as another layer of protection against the pass. Per PFF, he is only allowing a 80.7 passer rating, with just five receptions allowed in coverage. However, he only played in 32% of the Jets' defensive snaps this season.
New York, however, didn't get a lot of consistency from Cisco this season, and it makes sense that they'd part ways with the veteran as they look to gain as much draft capital as possible ahead of 2027. They also just had a lot of youth at safety sitting behind Cisco, so it made sense to deal him in order to get a better look at their depth there.
READ MORE: Lions can't squander trade deadline opportunity on defense
Detroit can't lean on Cisco just yet, but we should expect to see him given ample opportunity to work up the depth chart if Joseph isn't added to the roster by their Bucs game.
Detroit's depth at safety feels addressed
With the trade deadline a few hours away, it feels like the Lions are set with safety depth. Branch being back does wonders for their ceiling defensively, but Chuck Clark's been an unsung hero within the unit this season.
Clark told reporters after the Lions' Week 9 win, "I know the work that I put in personally. I respect this game. I respect the players in it. You have to bust your (butt) in the offseason to be prepared and be ready. As you get older, you have to stay on top of your body and stay in shape because there's young guys coming in to take your spot every day."
While not a "young" guy, Cisco is now one of the guys Clark is referring to here.
Having added competition to the room is what the Lions needed with a big playoff push on the horizon, and now, we wait to see if they invest elsewhere on the roster - at cornerback, linebacker, or another surprising area.
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