Can Lewis Cine Still Save Himself a Vikings Roster Spot?
Virtually ever since the Vikings decided to select Lewis Cine in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, there have been question regarding whether or not the pick was worth the juice that was spent.
Of course, Minnesota decided to trade down from No. 12 in that draft (where Kyle Hamilton was available, a 2023 All-Pro) and moved down to No. 32 in order to take Cine.
It’s been a tumultuous road for Cine since that draft, but this past weekend, the safety finally began to show some of the skills that he utilized during his collegiate days at Georgia. Could it be a matter of too little, to late for Cine, though?
What Happens with Lewis Cine?
Cine put together 11 tackles, a sack, two QB hits, and a pass defense during preseason Week 2 play against the Cleveland Browns.
For many, it probably seemed like the most involved in a defense Cine has been to this point in his career with the Vikings, and that would be because he easily played the most snaps of any Vikings defensive player last Saturday. Cine totaled 64 snaps on defense while LB Dallas Gant played 50 snaps, and CB Nahshon Wright played 38 snaps to finish second and third on the team, respectively.
Of course, these all seem like major steps forward for Cine. Previously, the safety has never played 50 defensive snaps in a preseason game, let alone 60. During regular season play, the former first-round pick has played a grand total of 10 defensive snaps over his first two seasons.
While it is promising to see the safety get onto the field and showcase an ability to make plays, it does feel like convenient timing for the Vikings to suddenly decide to get Cine plenty of reps on the field.
Consider, Minnesota brought in Brian Flores to run their defense in 2023, and one of the main trends of Flores’ scheme was a heavy reliance on his safety room. Camryn Bynum, Harrison Smith, and Josh Metellus played more snaps than anybody else on the defense with 1122, 1113, and 1065, respectively.
All three players are back in 2024, and top reserve Theo Jackson showed plenty of positive signs when he got on the field, and that has translated to training camp this summer. In fact, Jackson’s roster spot seems so safe that he didn’t even step onto the field in Week 2 of preseason play.
That leaves at most one more spot in the safety room for Cine to fight for, and he is competing with the ever versatile Jay Ward along with veteran Bobby McCain.
So, let’s go back to why it seems convenient for Cine to finally be getting onto the field now. Of course, it could be that the Vikings want to find a way to talk themselves into keeping their first-round pick around for at least one more year, but it just as easily could be that they are trying to showcase the safety for other NFL teams, trying to convince one of the other 31 squads to try and rejuvenate Cine’s skills.
It may seem a little cruel for Cine to be cut or traded away after he finally made an impact on the field, but this happens all the time for players who show out in preseason.
Just two years ago, Minnesota watched WR Albert Wilson catch two touchdown passes in the opening preseason game before cutting him just days later. Last summer, Vederian Lowe was traded away after a solid preseason in which he recorded the highest PFF pass blocking grade of any Vikings offensive tackle.
Ultimately, is it possible that Cine sticks around with the Vikings in 2024? Absolutely. He is a former first-round pick, and the Vikings certainly want to find any value they can in him.
That being said, they likely see the writing on the wall and are trying to recuperate any lost cost in that pick. If another team likes what they see in Cine and are willing to throw a sixth-round pick Minnesota’s way in exchange for him, it’s hard to see Minnesota saying no to that at this point in time.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference.
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