GREEN BAY, Wis. – Being a rookie cornerback in the NFL isn’t easy, even if Green Bay Packers second-round pick Brandon Cisse has made it look that way at times.

The NFL named Cisse its Defensive Player of the Month on Thursday. With the Packers going 4-1 in October, Cisse broke up seven passes – including back-to-back-to-back games with two – intercepted the first pass of his career and added two tackles for losses.

“I found out this morning from Coach LaFleur. Sent me a text, we talked about it,” Cisse said. “Super-excited to win an award like that. I thank my teammates, my coaches, so onto this month. What happened in the past don’t matter now, so we got to get ready for this weekend.”

The closing part of that statement encapsulates everything about Cisse. From the moment he set foot on the practice field, he’s never looked out of place. For the most part, he’s avoided the rookie rollercoaster. But he’s also never satisfied, never complacent, which means the rookie award is just part of his path and not the final destination.

There are reasons for that.

“I think first of all my family,” he said. “My parents, they did a great job at home with me of raising me the right way. I’d definitely say them. And my siblings, being super-competitive is probably where I get the competitive drive from.”

Cisse then mentioned Stephon Gilmore. Cisse finished his career at South Carolina, which is where Gilmore starred before embarking on a long NFL career that included being the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Cisse reached out to Gilmore, and they hit it off.

“That’s my mentor and that’s somebody who’s helped me out tremendously,” Cisse said. “Anytime you have somebody who’s played at that kind of elite level help you out, it makes things a lot easier.”

Cisse said they talk every other day; he figured they’d connect via FaceTime on Thursday night.

His best advice?

“In my career, there’s a lot of different things, but I would say being consistent,” Cisse said. “It’s easy to be good one time. Making sure that you’re never too comfortable is what I would say that I learned from him. Never too comfortable. There’s always something you can grow at, and he pushes me in that aspect. I’m thankful to have somebody like that in my corner.”

Cisse was a second-round pick by Green Bay. The new cornerback joined the team’s new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, who cut his teeth by coaching defensive backs.

Gannon is a “tough critic” – which Cisse has embraced more than maybe some young players might. So, it’s not just that Gannon has been a key part of Cisse’s early success. It’s that he’ll be a big part in Cisse’s future success, whether that’s this year’s playoff push or becoming a true defensive stopper. 

“I think it’s helped me tremendously,” Cisse said. “When I came in, he told me how it was going to be and what his expectation from me was, and he was going to be tough on me, no matter how good I become or how bad I play. Good or bad, it’s always going to be tough criticism.

“I appreciate that. I think it really changed my career having someone consistently on me every day about the little things, what to get better at. It just really made me never get comfortable. I appreciate that because, right now, I’m just looking forward to this week and trying to make sure I go out there and do my job to the best of my ability.”

What does tough coaching mean?

“There’s such a thing as chasing perfection, I would say, but every little detail matters,” Cisse explained. “Every time you have a coach that’s on you about every little detail – make sure you’re taking an extra step here, taking a better angle here, make sure you’re wrapping up or making sure you’re finishing off on the ball.

“There’s always going to be somewhere to grow, and I think anytime you have a coach that’s consistently on you about that, I think it’s tough coaching at times or being able to chew you out when you need to be chewed out.”

So, just because Cisse has allowed two or fewer catches in five games and less than 50 yards in six games, or that he leads all rookies with eight passes defensed, or that he’s in the top third in the league in catches allowed per coverage snap, or that he just became the first Rookie of the Month who played at South Carolina doesn’t mean that he’s playing as good as he could play.

Sometimes, talent can mask bad technique, for instance.

“There’s times when you can make plays but that’ll just get you away with in the moment,” Cisse said. “It won’t be something that’ll last forever. So, there’s sometimes you want to clean up technique because those things can last forever instead of just making a play in the moment.”

Cisse’s Rookie of the Month honors didn’t surprise safety Evan Williams, the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Month.

“I feel like he’s very mature in the way he shows up every day, the way he builds his habits,” Williams said. “You see a lot of guys come in just excited to play, excited to be out there, not really savoring the moment, but he’s somebody that is so intentional every time he’s on the practice field and just has a certain poise about him, which isn’t typical for a 21-year-old.

“When he’s on the field, he’s never rattled, never shaken, always knows exactly where he needs to be and obviously knows where to put himself to make some plays. So, yeah, not a surprise. I expect more of the same coming forward for that guy.”

Cisse was congratulated by his teammates for his accomplishment. Before he talked to reporters, he got a hug from right tackle Anthony Belton.

“I got a great group of teammates,” he said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. I can’t thank them enough, honestly. They’ve made my job coming here a lot easier than I expected it to be. Even coming here, just making it feel like home.

“I’ve been kind of in South Carolina my whole life and coming to Green Bay, I was a little worried. I’ve been in the Carolinas too long. How I was going to be able to adapt away from home? But those guys have made me a lot better and picked me up even when I’m down.”

The NFL trade deadline is coming up on Tuesday. @JacobWestendorf looks at two trades they should make and two they should avoid. ⬇️https://t.co/68TFN0pAGo

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 5, 2026