The Lewis Cine Mystery … Is Somethin’ Else
Not only is Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine the team’s ultimate roster bubble player this summer — his current status at training camp is a total mystery.
The Lewis Cine Mystery … Is Somethin’ Else
At the start of camp, Cine spoke to reporters, sounding optimistic about his upcoming development and cognizant of his stakes with the team.
Fast-forward a week, and Cine has watched on — almost like a spectator. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted Monday, with a week of training camp in the books: “Lewis Cine has not participated in the past two practices. Has been on the field and watching.”
To put it bluntly, there is no non-conspiratorial explanation for his spectatorship.
Less than a week ago, the Cine outlook was somewhat different. “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 told the media. “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.”
At the time, it seemed Cine realized he’d have to battle for a roster spot and presumably looked forward to the challenge. Watching from afar just days later is bizarre.
So, what’s going on? Well, the mystery is twofold. For starters, he could be injured and, naturally, not experiencing training camp action because of an unknown malady. The problem with that theory, however, is that the Vikings usually provide injury updates, or at least local reporters get to the bottom of the situation.
Otherwise — purely speculative — Cine had some type of falling out with the coaching staff, or a trade arrangement is lingering. There is no evidence readily available to suggest either scenario. Yet, what else could it be? This is training camp, and Cine is not holding out with a wacky contract grievance.
Meanwhile, Minnesota signed veteran defensive back Bobby McCain on Monday, a hybrid safety-cornerback who might’ve already lapped Cine on the depth chart. Strange days.
The Vikings drafted Cine with the 32nd overall pick in 2022, the very first selection of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. He broke his leg in October 2022, valiantly battled back for the 2023 season, and then saw little to meaningful defensive action. As a 1st-Rounder, fans have vehemently clung to hope and curiosity about his next steps.
And that has brought folks to this recent mystery’s doorstep. Why the hell isn’t a player on the roster bubble even practicing with the regular season less than six weeks away?
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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