The upcoming 2024 campaign will be a critical now-or-never one for Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine. Injuries, poor play, and an uneven scheme fit have completely derailed Cine’s career to date. The No. 32 overall selection in the 2022 draft must fight to salvage his NFL livelihood this offseason.
Cine began his rookie season as a back-end-of-roster rotational defender and special teams player. His campaign was cut short in Week 4 when he suffered a devastating lower-leg injury during a punt coverage play. Cine required two surgeries to recover.
The Vikings fielded one of the worst secondaries in the league that season, allowing a 31st-ranked 265.6 passing yards per game. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was fired and replaced by Brian Flores as a result. Cine was tasked with learning a drastically new system while rehabbing from his injury.
Flores fielded more of an attacking-minded defense. The safeties were tasked with blitzing with more consistency. Cine was initially drafted to play as a deep safety under Donatell. Either way, his inability to secure a role in Flores’ brilliant scheme is concerning.
Cine has been severely outplayed by lower-round draft picks like Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus. But rock bottom was achieved when former sixth-round selection Theo Jackson was signed off a practice squad and began playing significantly more snaps than Cine ever had. The former Georgia standout hasn't earned the trust of the coaching staff.
In truth, the entire 2022 Vikings draft class has been disastrous. Second-round cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. has battled injury and been passed over in favor of lower-drafted players like Akayleb Evans and Mekhi Blackmon when healthy. Fellow second-rounder Ed Ingram has played consistent snaps but has been below-average to league-average at best. Linebacker Brian Asamoah II was selected in the third round. He's been outshined by an undrafted player in Ivan Pace Jr. Asamoah totaled a whopping 36 defensive snaps in 2023.
Most of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's other 2022 draft picks are no longer on the team with fifth-round running back Ty Chandler qualifying as the other consistent contributor. Adofo-Mensah didn't draft a single high-end starter, let alone a blue-chipper despite making four top-66 picks.
Cine continues to be at the forefront of the borderline historically bad 2022 class as the first-round pick. In fairness, Adofo-Mensah fared better in 2023, adding wide receiver Jordan Addison to an already elite supporting cast. The cherry on top would see Cine finally meeting his potential this season to rewrite the story on Adofo-Mensah's debut draft.
The early signs aren't promising. Harrison Smith, Metellus, Bynum, and even Jackson are still on the Vikings' roster. Flores has consistently preferred all four of those players to Cine, who could enter training camp as the fifth-string safety. Sophomore fourth-rounder Jay Ward is also in the mix, possibly relegating Cine to No. 6 duties.
Cine was often a healthy scratch throughout his sophomore campaign. The former Bulldog's first-round status likely salvages his roster spot as the Vikings would forfeit $2.2 million in cap space while paying $9 million in dead cap over two years if he's released. A make-or-break training camp period appears on the horizon for Cine. The Vikings are undeniably running out of patience.
