Safety Signs with Bills, Spurns Rival Jets

In a surprising turn of events, former first-round safety Lewis Cine is signing with the Buffalo Bills' practice squad. This comes a day after multiple reports claimed Cine was signing with the New York Jets.

Instead, he will stay in the AFC East and sign with Buffalo instead. According to Jeremy Fowler , Cine changed his mind Wednesday after being heavily recruited by multiple teams throughout the day. Jahmile Addae, Cine's position coach in college, is now the defensive back coach in Buffalo.

Cine will now add another piece to the Bills' secondary in practice as multiple Bills defenders, including safety Damar Hamlin, continue to recover from preseason injuries.

Cine, selected in the first-round of the 2022 draft by the Minnesota Vikings, was released by Minnesota on Tuesday after appearing in just nine games through his first two seasons. Cine's development suffered after he fractured his leg early in Week 4 of his rookie season. The injury required two surgeries and ended his season.

Now, the 24-year-old is fully healthy and is looking for a fresh start in Buffalo. While Cine is currently signed to the practice squad, if he is able to prove to the team that he is still the same player that made him worth of a first-round pick, he could certainly be moved up to the active roster.

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Cine played at the University of Georgia in college. In his final season with the team, he was named to the All-SEC first-team, won a national championship, and was named the MVP of the championship game.