20 August 2023
Lewis Cine is probably the most physically gifted player the Vikings have at the safety position. He boasts a 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and can run the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds. No other safety on the Vikings roster — not Harrison Smith, not Cam Bynum, not Josh Metellus — can compete with those type of measurables.
No matter. As of right now, Cine sits behind Smith, Bynum and Metellus on the depth chart, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. He’s still very much learning his role under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, searching for the level of consistency it takes to be a starter in the NFL.
That’s why the preseason games against the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans have been so important this summer. After missing most of his rookie season with a compound fracture in his left leg, Cine desperately needs experience when the lights get bright. There’s only so much that can be simulated during practice at TCO Performance Center.
“Those reps are important to me,” he said. “Just need to let my talent show.”
It’s been a mixed bag to this point for Cine. He had ups and downs in the games against the Seahawks and Titans, showcasing his raw talent with a number of splash plays, while also simultaneously lacking some of the basic fundamentals.
On his first snap of the preseason game against the Seahawks, for example, Cine started his night off by making an impressive tackle in the open field. He showed great instincts — and closing speed — to bring down Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba near the sideline. Unfortunately for Cine, he also missed a number of tackles that night, often coming in to too high at the point of attack.
It was a similar story in Saturday’s preseason game against the Titans, as Cine started his night by wrapping up Titans rookie running back Tyjae Spears short of the sticks. A few possessions later, however, Cine missed a tackle in the hole and Spears raced 33 yards for a touchdown.
This is Lewis Cine in the nutshell so far. You can see glimpses of why the Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. You can also see that he needs more seasoning to become the player head coach Kevin O’Connell still thinks he can be.
“The missed tackle on that one run, he’s coming downhill, and he’s trying to fill his responsibility,” O’Connell said. “Those are going to happen. Especially when he’s really just getting back going again. The one thing we can’t simulate in those joint practices is tackling.”
Maybe the biggest thing Cine showed was the ability to bounce back. After failing to wrap up Spears in a big moment, Cine responded by sacking Titans quarterback Malik Willis on a broken play after halftime.
“You’ve got to shake it off,” Cine said. “If I was down on myself because I just let up a big play for a touchdown, I wouldn’t have bounced back. I’ve got to have a short-term memory. Just keep pushing it and move on.”
As far as Smith is concerned, the fact that Cine is playing with speed when he’s on the field a good sign. Though he’s already established himself among the best safeties in franchise history, Smith still remembers how challenging it was to acclimate after the Vikings took him way back in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
“I remember personally always feeling unathletc when I didn’t know exactly what to look at or what I was doing,” Smith said. “You eventually get that feeling of, ‘Oh, I can just go out there and be me.’ ”
There’s a chance that Cine could get there. He just needs more time.
“I think Lew is in a great spot,” said O’Connell, who made Cine a captain for the preseason game against the Titans. “He’s doing a great job right now of building upon what he does each and every day.”
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