Lewis Cine
Lewis Cine is on the Minnesota Vikings’ roster bubble.
In fact, he is the roster bubble, as no player on the Vikings roster could quite “go either way” quite like Cine. His stake in remaining with the purple team in 2024 feels totally 50-50.
There is no financial incentive to cut ties with Cine, but if Minnesota’s coaching staff takes the plunge, these are the top four destinations for his services ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely landing spot).
Cine’s roster fate with the Vikings will be determined by Tuesday, August 27th, at 3:00 pm. That’s the NFL’s 53-man deadline.
The Case for Tennessee, in Short: The Titans’ safeties aren’t very good.
These are the Pro Football Focus grades for Tennesse’s starting safeties:
Diggs is also old by NFL standards at age 31, and Cine, 24, could provide a youthful alternative. It’s also worth noting that Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Titans boss Ran Carthon are pals from the San Francisco 49ers days. They talk.
The Case for Philadelphia, in Short: It’s what the Eagles do — add players from the University of Georgia.
The Eagles employ these men from the University of Georgia:
It is not typical for a team to have that many players from one school on its active roster. It’s just not. So, the Eagles’ front office has a very real affinity for Bulldogs, and if Cine hits the waiver wire on Tuesday, Philadelphia could flock to grab his services.
Most of the men on the list above are former teammates of Cine’s.
The Case for Dallas, in Short: The home-state angle.
Cine isn’t from Texas — he was born in Haiti — but he did finish high school in the Lone Star state before trekking to Georgia for college. He attended Trinity Christian. That school is 20 minutes from AT&T Stadium.
There’s also a slight roster need in Dallas. One starting safety for the Cowboys, Donovan Wilson, fired up a 66.2 Pro Football Focus grade in 2023, which isn’t elite. Cine could add depth.
Also — Cine + Mike Zimmer could be intriguing.
The Case for Baltimore, in Short: Todd Monken.
During Cine’s collegiate career, the offensive coordinator at Georgia was Todd Monken, who currently runs the Ravens’ offense. Of course, Cine doesn’t play offense, but Monken should be familiar with his talent, especially the productive collegiate rendition.
There’s also irony in play, as Vikings fans cannot go a day without noting on social media that Minnesota should’ve selected Kyle Hamilton over Cine in the 2022 NFL Draft. In this scenario, Baltimore could pair Cine with Hamilton, and boom, Vikings fans can watch Ravens games henceforth with the utmost discontent, which they already do when Hamilton is on the tube.
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.