Position at a Glance '26
Andre Cisco only got to experience half a season with the Green & White in 2025 after sustaining a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 8. He's back healthy, however, and re-signed with the Jets in March for the 2026 season.
"I feel like I've matured a lot during these last eight-nine weeks," Cisco said at the end of the 2025 season. "Just being on the sideline and just taking some time, I've never been on IR in-season, so that's the most time I've missed."
Cisco is starting his sixth NFL season and, over the offseason, the Jets added two veteran safeties to join him. Dane Belton signed with the Green & White in March after spending four seasons with the Giants. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and has 8 TFL, 16 PD, 6 INTs and 4 forced fumbles in his career so far.
And the big-name addition to the group is Minkah Fitzpatrick, who the Jets acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Fitzpatrick is the most experienced safety in the room, and the Jets are his third team — 2026 will be his ninth season.
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jets selected Malachi Moore in the fourth round and he made his first career start in Week 3 against the Buccaneers. As injuries sidelined Cisco and Tony Adams, he stepped up on several occasions.
"I feel like the more reps I got, the more comfortable I became out there and just being comfortable with myself around the teammates on the field we were playing," Moore said last season. "I just think with more reps comes more experience and more confidence."
Moore had 95 total tackles, 3 TFL, 3 PDs and a forced fumble in 950 defensive snaps.
Check out the best images of Minkah Fitzpatrick and the rest of the Jets safeties during the offseason program.
Storyline to Watch
Fitzpatrick is a five-time Pro-Bowler and three-time All-Pro with 21 career INTs, so how will he fit in with the Jets? Well, head coach Aaron Glenn doesn't expect his playmaking ability to "change at all."
"That's one of the reasons why we got him here," Glenn said during OTAs. "We want guys that can get their hands on the ball, we want guys that can make plays and we also want guys that, when things break down, have the instincts to get us right back where we need to be to give us another chance to have another play.
"He's done that throughout his career, so I'm expecting the same."
Fitzpatrick said he and Glenn see the game in "a very similar light," which made the transition to the Jets much easier.
"I think we have a very great dynamic in regards to the team: we have vets where we need them, and then we have a lot of young, hungry guys who are willing to learn," Fitzpatrick said.
Week to week, Fitzpatrick is always going to be looking to improve — Jets fans can expect consistency from the veteran.
"I'm not going to try and create a whole new identity at 29- years -old," he said. "You're going to get a guy that plays with a lot of energy, is going to communicate to the guys around him, that's going to try and get turnovers. He's going to play within the rules of the scheme, but I'm going to take calculated risks."
What They're Saying
Fitzpatrick is the type of veteran who leads by example rather than always being one of the loudest voices in the room, but DT Harrison Phillips appreciates how he approaches meetings.
"He asks the questions that no one else is asking," Phillips said. "We have player-only meetings and we'll be going through, I don't want to spill too much, but just like if we're all wrapping our heads around this thing, he'll ask a question over here and it's like 'Oh, we didn't really look at it from that view.' And I really respect his ability to be direct and to ask tough questions."
| Jets Player | Exper in '26 | '25 GP-GS-DNP-IA | '25 D-ST-Total Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malachi Moore | 2nd | 17 - 14 - 0 - 0 | 950 - 144 - 1094 |
| Dane Belton | 5th | 17 - 9 - 0 - 0 (NYG) | 705 - 310 - 1015 (NYG) |
| Minkah Fitzpatrick | 9th | 14 - 14 - 0 - 3 (MIA) | 845 - 106 - 951 (MIA) |
| Andre Cisco | 6th | 8 - 8 - 0 - 0 | 499 - 0 - 499 |
| Dean Clark | 2nd | 12 - 2 - 0 - 0 | 180 - 172 - 352 |
| Keidron Smith | 2nd | 3 - 1 - 0 - 0 | 69 - 15 - 84 |
| Jarius Monroe | 1st | 4 - 0 - 0 - 0 | 3 - 77 - 80 |
| VJ Payne | R | .................... | .................... |
Finished '25 Season on IR: Cisco
Trade Acquisition in '26: Fitzpatrick (from MIA)
Draft Choice in '26: VJ Payne (Rd. 7, 228th overall)
S Trivia
Minkah Fitzpatrick, who grew up 35 miles from the Meadowlands and won a New Jersey parochial state championship with St. Peter's Prep on the MetLife turf in 2014, returns to his home area via the offseason trade with Miami. And along with his leadership skills, Fitzpatrick brings back with him ha talent with turnovers — since his rookie year of 2018, his 28 total taekaways are tied for 5th in the NFL, and his 5 career defensive return TDs are tied for 2nd in the league in that span.
