Andre Cisco trade reveals Jets' plan for Malachi Moore and VJ Payne

The New York Jets made their first move ahead of the trade deadline on Monday, dealing veteran safety Andre Cisco to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. It was the first move, of hopefully a few, general manager Darren Mougey makes.

The loss of Cisco will certainly be felt, but it isn't going to drastically change the makeup of the Jets' defense. He had appeared in all nine games this season, starting four, but only played 32% of defensive snaps. He racked up 23 tackles, forced one fumble, and broke up one pass in coverage.

Cisco played zero defensive snaps in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs, fairly telling considering the proximity to the trade deadline.

But it's obvious why the Jets felt comfortable shipping Cisco out of New York. Safety is easily one of their deepest positions, especially with two draft picks from both 2025 and 2026 vying for playing time.

New York Jets will likely try to get Malachi Moore and VJ Payne on the field

Cisco was essentially the Jets' third safety. When either Minkah Fitzpatrick or Dane Belton moved down into the box or into the nickel, Aaron Glenn and Brian Duker would deploy Cisco as that "center fielder" to man the back end.

With him out of the picture, one of 2025 fourth-round draft pick Malachi Moore or 2026 seventh-round draft pick VJ Payne is likely to fill that role. This past Sunday, with Payne still not active, it was Moore who got the nod.

The former Alabama standout played 17 defensive snaps against Kansas City and only recorded one tackle. Unfortunately, Moore had a chance to win a starting job outright in training camp, but failed to capitalize in a competition with Cisco and Belton.

For a player who appeared in all 17 games in his rookie season and started in 14 of them, fans (and likely the coaching staff) were hoping for more heading into this sophomore season. He'll have a chance to rectify that over the back half of the 2026 season.

Payne should also have a chance to get into the mix once he's healthy. The rookie defensive back is still working his way back from a bone bruise suffered in training camp and returned to practice last week.

The coaching staff would likely like to see him get some more practice reps before he sees special teams snaps, let alone on defense.

Regardless, the reps are there for these young players in the wake of the Cisco trade, and it's obvious that was the plan when the deal was made.

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