Jul 28, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine (6) during training camp at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
Just weeks into his professional career, Lewis Cine suffered a significant lower leg fracture. The Minnesota Vikings were overseas, and their rookie safety had to be left in London while the team flew home. Unfortunately, that started his career on a sour note, but even more unfortunately, it has never found a good one.
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over as the Minnesota Vikings general manager, he made Lewis Cine his first-ever draft pick. Opting to trade back and bypass picking star safety Kyle Hamilton, Adofo-Mensah landed on Cine. Beyond just the injuries, that could not have gone more wrong.
Cine is now at a pivotal time in his career, especially with Minnesota, but he remains off the practice field. New maladies seem to pop up at an alarming pace, and that’s hardly a good development for a guy who has seen just 10 defensive snaps in the past two seasons.
There is no denying that Cine’s leg injury as a rookie was egregious. What he went through was traumatic beyond just being a season-ending issue. A significant amount of stunted development was also a by-product of the situation. Regardless of what Cine could have done from a studying perspective, he missed ample opportunities to experience game speed on the field.
Seemingly healthy coming into last year, Cine never was able to establish himself. He had tumbled down the depth chart, and playing just 2% of the total defensive snaps, he was a complete non-factor. For a team with significant secondary issues, that’s a pretty unfortunate reality to face heading into year three. Cine was active for just seven games, and his career has ultimately failed to launch.
Rather than come in ready to go for training camp, Cine has missed time there as well. The preseason slate is ready to kick off, and this should be a chance for him to show what he can do. There is uncertainty as to whether he will be ready to play on Saturday, and that only convolutes decisions for the powers that be.
If there was a time for Cine to be proving it, it’s now. The reality is that he has been hurt and done next to nothing with almost every opportunity, and making any decisions regarding his roster spot is relatively straightforward.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.