Lewis Cine Joins 3rd Team in 4 Months
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Lewis Cine is heading to playoffs â but heâll play for the Philadelphia Eagles, not the Buffalo Bills.
Lewis Cine Joins 3rd Team in 4 Months
The Eagles stole Cine, a former Minnesota Viking, from the Billsâ practice squad on Wednesday, and per the stipulation of the practice squad pilfer, Cine will join the Eaglesâ 53-man roster.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The Eaglesâ main social media account tweeted, âWe have signed DB Lewis Cine to the active roster and have opened the practice window for DT Byron Young.â
Cine last made headlines in October when the local Buffalo media reported he would switch from safety to linebacker. But he played no regular season defensive snaps, so itâs unclear if Cine will play safety or linebacker in Philadelphia.
The Eagles host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in a Wildcard playoff showdown, and these are the teamâs safeties with Cine in the mix:
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Reed Blankenship
Sydney Brown
Tristin McCollum
Lewis Cine
Andreâ Sam (Practice Squad)
Mekhi Garner (Practice Squad)
James Bradberry (IR)
Minnesota drafted Cine as a safety from Georgia in the 2022 NFL Draft, the first selection of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. Cine didnât win a starterâs job out of the gate in 2022 and, soon after, broke his leg in London. The gruesome injury mandated a long recovery, although Cine was back in action by the start of the 2023 regular season. The problem? Minnesotaâs safety room was deep enough without the Georgia alumnus, utilizing full-time roles for Smith, Bynum, and Metellus.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.
Put bluntly â Cine was not needed on the current Vikings roster, nor was he last year. The Vikings had âtoo manyâ good safeties.
Cinelater flashed in a preseason game last August, terrorizing several Browns reserve players. His 53-man roster stock soared, at least according to eager fans who wanted him to succeed. Many believed heâd make the 53-man roster. He was waived soon after.
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
All told as a Viking, Cine appeared in 10 games and recorded just 10 defensive snaps. He had one tackle in his Vikings career.
Cine initially expressed interest in joining the New York Jets roster but reversed course and signed with the Bills. He lived on Buffaloâs practice squad in 2024 and only played a handful of special teams snaps.
Now, thereâs a path for Cine to see playoff snaps, if only on special teams.
Minnesota safety Lewis Cine on August 21st, 2024, in Eagan, Minnesota, chatting with Jeff Wald of FOX9. The Vikings drafted Cine in the 1st Round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 32nd pick. Cine faced the roster bubble in the summer of 2024.
The Eagles also employ former Vikings players Khari Blasinggame (FB, PS), Dallas Gant (LB, PS), and Parry Nickerson (CB, PS).
Philadelphia is favored to defeat Green Bay by four or five points.
Cine will turn 26 next autumn.
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, âThe Sopranos,â Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.Â
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
