Popular Viking Returns to Practice; Still on Roster Bubble
Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine might be back in the nick of time.
Popular Viking Returns to Practice; Still on Roster Bubble
Cine battled a lower leg strain as of late, initially causing confusion among Vikings fans because nobody knew why he wasn’t practicing, and the team didn’t update his status until after a few days on the sidelines.
But on Tuesday, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted, “Lewis Cine is in fact back on the practice field for today’s full-pads affair.”
On the same days as his return, Minnesota revealed the first depth chart of the 2024 season, and although unofficial, Cine appeared to be designated as the sixth safety on the roster. Most NFL teams don’t come close to retaining six safeties for a September roster, so Cine is firmly on the roster bubble, perhaps needing three productive preseason games to make the cut.
At the start of camp two weeks ago, Cine spoke to reporters and struck an upbeat tone about his 2024 campaign while acknowledging he had something to prove.
“It’s huge, it’s huge for me on a personal note. I think I really gotta show out and really ball out and prove why I should be here and why I deserve to be playing in the NFL. It’s unfortunate that I broke my leg,” Cine said in Eagan. “That’s long behind me. I got the opportunity to learn the defense and not be rushed where something bad could happen again, so now I just have to use this opportunity to show that I haven’t lost a step and I’m that same Lew that you guys drafted.”
And for context, this is the Vikings’ safety pecking order per the freshly released depth chart:
S1: Harrison Smith
S2: Camryn Bynum
S3: Josh Metellus
S4: Theo Jackson
S5: Jay Ward
S6: Lewis Cine
S7: Bobby McCain
Minnesota drafted Cine with the 32nd overall pick in 2022, the first selection of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. He broke his leg in October 2022, bravely battled back for the 2023 season, and then saw little to meaningful action on defense. As a 1st-Rounder, fans have maintained high Cine hopes for over two years but often speculated “what could have been” if the Vikings drafted someone else like Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton.
Cine faces stiff competition to make the 53-man roster in three weeks, living in the aforementioned deep safety room that includes Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, and Theo Jackson. He’s considered on the roster bubble, though Minnesota would gain nothing financially from waiving him during roster trimdowns.
Fellow safety Theo Jackson, especially, has made a name for himself at training camp, even drawing “Mr. Mankato” or “Mr. Eagan” praise from fans.
The Vikings also signed defensive back Bobby McCain last week, a man with experience at safety and cornerback, adding depth to an already dense safety section of the roster — and further jeopardizing Cine’s job security.
Folks should watch Cine in Minnesota’s three preseason games because they could be his last best hope of remaining with the club.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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