Vikings Fans Totally Change Opinion on One Player
Perhaps it was the start of something grand or the spark to stardom.
Vikings Fans Totally Change Opinion on One Player
That’s the word from Minnesota Vikings fans on Lewis Cine, a man absolutely on track to a summer roster cut — until last Saturday.
Minnesota knocked off the Cleveland Browns in Saturday’s preseason game, 27-12, and Cine experienced ample playing time. Along the way, he produced the game of his NFL life, tabulating an interception, sack, a violent-but-legal hit, and 11 total tackles.
The man very much looked the part of a 1st-Round pick, the first time any Vikings fan could utter such a statement amid the last 28 months. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made Cine the first draft pick of his tenure — infamously passing on Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton — and the Georgia alumnus has disappointed to date.
But he did no such thing on Saturday, flying all over the field in what may have been his last best chance to prove himself and earn a spot on the 53-man roster this season. About a week and a half ago, Adofo-Mensah traded Cine’s draft mate, Andrew Booth, to the Dallas Cowboys for cornerback Nahshon Wright, proving he’s willing to cut bait with failed draft picks. Cine perhaps awaited a similar fate, but he might’ve changed everything in Cleveland.
Tweets like this emerged from the Cine performance:
One fan tweeted, “Keep him on the roster.” @grim_trazzd wrote, “Okay maybe a breakout season.”
@jbusta25_ added, “Keep him on the Roster as our 5th S and get him a play or 2 every once in awhile.” Another fan, Gino, posted, “Would love to see Cine fight his way back! SKOL.”
And all the positivity surrounding Cine arrived on a single day — Saturday. Before Vikings-Browns, it was nearly a forgone conclusion that the man would be traded or waived. Not anymore; the sentiment changed. In fact, it might feel criminal to send Cine elsewhere, especially if he turned out to thrive.
Cine reached the 53-man roster last year, freshly healed from a broken leg he suffered in October 2022, just four games into his rookie season. The forecast last summer was lofty for the young defender, but then training camp and preseason arrived, and it became rather evident that Cine was running with clear reservist players. Thereafter, the 2023 season took place, and Cine saw defensive action on eight plays — in garbage time during a blowout at home versus the Green Bay Packers. Aside from special teams action, that was it for Cine in Year No. 2.
Personally, Cine knew his stakes were elevated entering training camp. “This is huge for me on a personal note. I think I’ve really got to show out and really ball out and prove why I should be here and why I deserve to be playing in the NFL,” Cine told reporters in July on the first day of Vikings live activities at training camp.
“Just because you got drafted in the first round, that doesn’t mean you’re just handed anything. You’ve got to understand that these are jobs. It’s unfortunate that I broke my leg [in 2022], but that’s long behind me,” he added.
Then, after the Browns showdown, Cine opined on his performance. “If I’m being honest, I don’t think camp really went the way that I wanted it to go. I wanted to come out and really like let it loose, but I had a little bit of a hamstring situation early on,” he told reporters. “It’s hard to show what you got when you keep getting a pulled this, a yanked that. I’m thankful to coach O’Connell for letting me work through it until Saturday when I kind of had to prove that I’m me. And we’ll go from there.”
It’s worth noting that Minnesota would gain absolutely nothing by waiving Cine in eight days when roster cuts are due.
Perhaps he’ll stick around for Year No. 3.
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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