Jul 27, 2022; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine (6) performs a drill at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
It was an injury, after all.
Minnesota Vikings fans wondered why third-year safety Lewis Cine had not recently participated in practice at training camp for a few days, as no details were given until Tuesday. But head coach Kevin O’Connell announced in Eagan that his young defender was battling a lower leg strain.
“Lewis is dealing with a little bit of a lower leg, some soreness, little strain there. I would classify him as day-to-day,” O’Connell told reporters. “We just want Lew to feel ready to roll and get out there with his teammates as fast as possible. We’ll get him back rolling as soon as possible.”
Although odd that it took a few days to be revealed, a Cine injury makes sense for his non-participation. Some wondered if the Georgia alumnus would be traded or if he had encountered a disagreement with the coaching staff.
At the start of camp a week ago, Cine spoke to reporters and struck an optimistic 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 opined 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.”
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 four weeks, living in a 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.
Thankfully for his sake, he should be back at practice before too long.
The Vikings signed defensive back Bobby McCain this week, a man with experience at safety at cornerback, adding depth to an already thick safety section of the roster.
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.
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