Former first-round pick Lewis Cine should soon be forgotten for Vikings

The career of Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine has not gotten off to the start that anyone would have liked. With another injury sustained in training camp and other defensive backs emerging, Lewis Cine could be out of Minnesota during roster cuts this season.

While the lower leg strain sustained earlier this week, Cine’s future in purple remains highly in question. The former first-round pick has not played much during his NFL career due to nagging injuries. However, even when he has hit the field, he has not looked good and has been downgraded to exclusively playing on special teams, while other players at the safety position have surpassed him on the depth chart.

When the Vikings traded down from pick 12 to pick 32 with the Detroit Lions in 2022 to select Cine, many fans questioned the decision by then-first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to trade down. In doing so, the Vikings passed on other defensive backs like Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton and Washington’s Trent McDuffie while allowing the division Lions to select dynamic wide receiver Jameson Williams from Alabama.

Hamilton and McDuffie have both gone on to become star players for the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, while Cine has failed to find his footing with the Vikings.

Cine fractured his leg just four games into his rookie campaign, missed the rest of his debut season, and never gained traction with the team after that.

Even with veterans Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum slotted as starters at safety, the team tends to play three and sometimes even four safeties simultaneously during different defensive sub-packages. Even with those opportunities, Cine was bypassed on the depth chart last season by versatile chess piece Josh Metellus and former late-round draft pick Theo Jackson for those snaps.

With Jackson off to a stellar start to training camp and the Vikings adding former New York Giant Bobby McCain, a player who can play both cornerback and safety, the roster spots for the defensive back room regarding safeties are limited.

The former Georgia Bulldog's chances of making this year's 53-man roster look slim, and the more time he misses, the slimmer those chances get. At this point, it would be best for the Vikings to cut bait and move forward without their former first-rounder.