Lower leg strain hampers Lewis Cine's chances to make 53-man roster

Cine appears to be buried on the depth chart.

Lewis Cine / Image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Lewis Cine's chance to make the 53-man roster with the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be slim entering training camp, and a leg injury that has prevented him from practicing this week is even more reason to question his odds of sticking around in his third NFL season.

Cine did not practice Sunday or Monday and head coach Kevin O'Connell, ahead of Tuesday's camp practice, revealed that Cine is dealing with a leg injury, though he doesn't expect him to miss much more time.

"Lewis is dealing with a little bit of a lower leg, some soreness, little strain there. I would classify him as day to day. We just want Lew to feel ready to roll and get out there with his teammates as fast as possible," O'Connell said. "We'll get him back rolling as soon as possible."

The Vikings are stacked at the safety position with Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward and now Bobby McCain, the 10-year NFL veteran who signed with Minnesota earlier this week. Ward has been spotted playing some cornerback in camp but one way or another Cine has to make giant leaps to make the team.

"I think I'm just looking forward to just balling with no thinking," Cine told KSTP's Darren Wolfson ahead of last week's first training camp practice. "I think a certain thing about being in two defenses being a safety is the mental aspect of the game and clicking. When you're the last line of defense you gotta be on your T and be able to communicate and get in and out. I feel a lot more comfortable with me communicating with my teammates and being where I need to be."

O'Connell also touted on Tuesday the versatility of McCain, Metellus, Bynum and Ward for their ability to play both safety and corner, noting that all of them provide the defense flexibility in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' exotic scheme.